


Darkness Is Merely An Absence of Light

by InfiniteInMystery



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Angst, Attempt at Humor, Blackmail, Cleon if you squint, Comfort, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Everyone cries except Hunnigan, F/M, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, I actually included the comfort for once, I apologize in advance, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Leon Needs A Hug, No Beta We Die A Mistake, Past Rape/Non-con, Rape Aftermath, Rape Recovery, Shitty OC - Freeform, Suicidal Thoughts, Vomiting, omg the cleon is not the noncon pair, problem solving
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-16 13:41:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 28,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29576970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InfiniteInMystery/pseuds/InfiniteInMystery
Summary: He knows his work situation is out of hand now, and that's how he finds himself on Claire's doorstep. He needs help, but most importantly, he's ready to ask for it.
Relationships: Leon S. Kennedy/Claire Redfield, Leon S. Kennedy/Other(s)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 30





	1. Fear Can't Kill You, But...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, this is a long one deserving fluffy oneshots to follow, though I make no promises. Also the noncon tag is for a shitty OC.
> 
> Sorry not-sorry the chapters are huge. Also there may be formatting issues, I'm not sure why they keep happening.
> 
> In other news, I made myself a proper Twitter and Tumblr to yell about writing. You can find me on Twitter [here](https://twitter.com/remmwritesohno) and on Tumblr [here!](https://infiniteinmystery.tumblr.com/)

It was Thursday and her first day off in almost two weeks, which meant it was pizza day and pajama day and _I'm not answering my phone even if there's an apocalypse_ day. Claire was sprawled out over her large couch in sweats and her favorite old university t-shirt, munching contently on a slice of extra-cheesy pepperoni pizza with more dip than crust. She had spent the day lying around, doing her best to forget that the world was still in danger, that her efforts and kindness could only reach so far, could only touch so many people. She did good work and she knew it, and part of her stellar reputation was from balancing work and life. Sometimes, a girl just had to treat herself to an extra large pizza and dip, a night home alone with crappy dramas, and both her personal and work phones on silent.

But sometimes, though, she forgot about the people she left behind every time she got on that plane to bring some light into the darkest corners of the world. Sometimes, she forgot that they were in danger too, right here in the city. And sometimes, when the planets aligned and the moon was full, those people came to her for help even if they didn’t really want to reach out.

A quiet knock on her front door suddenly caught her attention, the fact that it was almost midnight not going unnoticed. _I’_ _ve_ _already got my food and Chris said he was getting back into the city_ _Sunday_ _evening_ _._ _I was going to call Jill tomorrow, so..._ Claire hadn't been expecting anyone, and usually for the Redfield's, surprise visits meant _trouble._

Glancing over the back of the couch, Claire eyed the door suspiciously before reaching out for the remote and pausing her drama. Only her lamp was on, so it wasn't like her house had been lit up like a Christmas tree, advertising that she was home. She set her half-eaten slice back down into the pizza box as she sat up from the couch, creeping across her house in her socked feet to go check out the peephole. In the doorway, she stood on her tip-toes, her hand instantly reaching out for the tall table with a bowl full of keys beside the door, her fingers ghosting over the handle of her Glock resting inside.

_Oh, well isn't this a surprise._

Through the peephole, she could see Leon standing in the dark, glancing over his shoulder into the street like he was making sure he hadn't been followed. She hesitated for a second, wondering if they had made plans earlier in the week and she had simply forgotten, before deciding that it didn't matter. He was here and it didn't matter why. They weren't strangers, they dropped by to visit each other unannounced all the time.

Quickly, Claire threw open the front door, her smile bright as her favorite person besides Chris came into full view. “Leon!”

When Leon S. Kennedy glanced Claire's way, Claire instantly knew something was wrong. His face was pale like he had seen a ghost, those puppy-blues wide like he had seen the Tyrant in the RPD for the first time again. He tried for a smile but it looked more like a grimace, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his leather jacket. When he spoke, his voice was scratchy just like the stubble on the sharp cut of his jaw. Tired. Emotionless. He looked thinner.

“Claire, hey. Sorry I stopped by so late. I saw your car.”

“No, no, don't worry about it. Are you okay? Come in, get in here!” Claire ushered Leon from the cold and into her house, locking the door behind them. She took Leon's leather jacket to hang it up in her hallway closet, coaxing him out of it when he hesitated. When she turned back around from the closet, Leon was standing awkwardly in her doorway, his eyes not quite meeting hers. He'd never looked this lost in her house before, and her heart constricted at the sight. She was pretty sure she had seen him a couple of weeks ago and she couldn’t remember thinking he had looked bad. Definitely not _this_ bad.

“If this is a bad time-”

“Oh, nonsense. You're already here.” Claire said, playfully smacking him in the arm. Leon glanced over to her again with that strained smile, and it was those sad eyes again, the ones that made Claire move in for a sudden hug before either of them really knew what she was doing. She wrapped her arms around his waist firmly, her head resting just beneath his chin, and after a moment of hesitation, Leon exhaled shakily before he sunk into the hug. His hands wrapped around her back, tight like he was clinging, his next couple of breaths a little ragged before they eventually evened out.

Something was really wrong.

“Do you need pizza and some corny dramas?” Claire asked into his chest after a minute, listening as his pounding heartbeat evened out the longer they stayed together. Beneath the sweater Leon was wearing, he was shivering. She really hoped he was only cold.

“Yeah. Maybe.” Leon said, his voice only a touch louder than a whisper.

“Okay, well good thing I already have food and a show on the go.” Claire said. She pulled away slowly, glancing up. Her eyebrows furrowed, her heart speeding up a few paces in concern.

Leon cleared his throat, his wet gaze avoiding hers. He looked tired, which wasn't exactly uncommon with Leon, but the fact that he was here struggling to keep himself together told Claire he'd be spilling his heart out by the end of the night. Claire looked him over for a minute, no injuries, no obvious signs of a recent alcoholic binge, before taking his hand and dragging him along to her couch. _What has he bottled up now?_

“Let's start with the hard part.” Claire said, sitting Leon down on the couch with a hand to his shoulder. She leaned over to grab her favorite Superhero throw blanket from over the armrest. She draped it around Leon's shoulders like a cape before pulling the blanket snug, trapping him inside. Leon chuckled just as she shoved him back into the cushions, pointing a finger in his face. He flopped without resistance, his expression lifting as Claire climbed onto the couch, folding herself comfortably into his side.

“Relax a little. You can have a slice of pizza after you tell me what's wrong.” Claire said, stealing a corner of the blanket for her own lap while making sure that Leon was still completely covered.

“You're trying to bribe me with pizza?” Leon asked as he shifted, drawing his legs up under the blanket and angling his curled body Claire's way. He chuckled nervously, eyes flickering over to the coffee table littered with cans of soda and open bags of chips, the giant pizza almost half-eaten. It was her first day off. She was allowed to indulge. She was also the messier sibling, so she didn't know why Leon was surprised.

“Well it worked last time. That, and pizza tastes better _after_ you cry, not before. You said so yourself.” Claire joked.

“If I remember correctly, I didn't cry. You cried for me.” Leon said. His tone lilted in amusement, remembering the last time he had shown up on her doorstep like this. That had been a long time ago. Leon didn't come around seeking help often. He was shy like that. Claire felt like she came to him to have most of her breakdowns and they were more frequent than his, but Claire also had healthier, more stable, emotions because of it. And she also had a better support system than Leon did, alone in his apartment.

She reached out, hand on his arm over the blanket. “You came here for a reason, Leon. Follow through. And then we can finish this episode before binge watching the new drag queen series on Netflix.”

Leon chuckled, gaze sliding away. “Sounds like a plan.”

Claire tilted her head at him. The silence settled over them comfortably. Leon had come out of his own free will, so whatever he needed to say, he would eventually say. Claire had learned a long time ago that sometimes he just couldn't articulate himself very well, and instead of struggling to explain, he liked to think on his words.

Leon nudged her with his elbow when he was ready before shifting beneath the blankets, sinking into the couch. He relaxed slightly, eyes on the paused TV and not Claire. “I guess I did come here for a reason. I just don't know what to do or who I should be talking to so I… I don't know, I saw your car and I just stopped without really thinking about it. I didn't even know if you'd be in the city when I drove by.”

“What's it about?” Claire asked gently. She knew the answer before Leon even said anything.

“Work.” Leon said blandly. He glanced down to the blanket pooled between them, hair shielding his face. His mouth pulled into a thin line, and if Leon had come by for a fun visit, Claire would have teased him.

Claire sighed. “Leon, if you need a vacation-”

“It's not the job for once.” Leon said, his voice firm and suddenly annoyed. He didn't elaborate, simply took in a deep breath before his arm appeared from within the blanket cocoon, running his hand through his hair. Claire didn't think he looked bad, nothing about his appearance screamed distress or self-harm. He looked tired but he didn't look exhausted, didn't have that pale, waxy sheen to his skin when he drank too much either.

Leon sighed shakily, resting his head in his hand, elbow against the back of the couch. He closed his eyes. “Claire?”

“Hey.” Claire scooted even closer, her hand landing on Leon's knee. She didn't move it, knew rubbing usually made Leon pull away. But she tried to catch his gaze when he opened his eyes, let the concern wash over her own expression so he knew he wasn't getting out of here unless he was feeling better.

Leon took a breath, rubbing his face before lifting his head just enough to talk. He still didn't look at her. “I'm in a _situation_.”

“Okay?” Claire said, her tone slipping into her professional voice. “It's okay to tell me. What's going on?”

“At work. It's just… Claire?” Leon glanced over to her, those eyes big and wide again and Claire was worried, really worried, because the few times Leon had come over like this, he had always been looking for forgiveness for those he couldn't save. He had always broken down over the lives that had slipped through his fingers, whether recent or years ago, had always glanced to Claire with remorse and regret. Usually, Leon's metaphorical bucket of emotions overflowed from self-blame and unhappiness.

But this, that look in Leon's eyes now, was a look Claire hadn't seen in almost ten years.

It was fear.

“I've never… I've lost so many people, and I know I should probably get some more therapy, and I know everyone thinks I'm a few bricks shy from a load these days, but I'm... I've never… This is... I guess this might be considered a normal problem? I mean if I got bit by a BOW or had a work related accident I could just tell you but… but I've never...”

Leon chuckled as he looked away. His hand went back to his face, fingers in his hair. Claire didn't say anything, her eyebrows creasing in worry, thoughts flying through her head a mile a minute wondering what could have him tripping over his words and so upset. She didn't prompt him, gave him a second to catch his breath, trying to read his body language to see if she could deduce the problem herself. _A normal problem?_

“I'm having a problem with… a coworker.” Leon said. He sighed, hand running through his hair before gripping it. “Because… it starts with another problem that I don't know how to deal with and I don't know what to do, but it's not… I… it's not okay? And I? I don't know how to fix this, this isn't like any situation I've ever had to deal with.”

“Okay, you're all jumbled up.” Claire said gently, patting his knee. “Let's start small. Your coworker, do they have a name?”

Leon chuckled nervously nodding. “Yeah. Uh. I don't know what planet you came from, but we name people here.”

“What's their name?” Claire asked, smile pulling at his quip. He was trying to joke, was trying to help himself. His effort was all Claire could ask for.

“Jasmine Myers. She's, um, she's the head of the Health and Safety department. Simmons hired her last year and she's been up to no good since the day she stepped into the office.” Leon said, his tone bitter but sliding out firmly. He suddenly looked like he was going to be sick, shaking his head and minutely pulling away. “Okay, Claire, maybe-”

“No, you're doing fine. And you're not putting me out. If you leave, you know I'll hunt you down just to make sure you were safe, right? And if I follow you home, you won't have pizza when we continue to discuss this anyway. So let's keep our eyes up and deal with this Jasmine Myers lady. What's she doing to you to make you so upset?” Claire asked, and she really emphasized the _upset_ part, because she'd never seen Leon distraught like this. She'd seen Leon at some of his worst moments, and while he was doing better than after a few missions where he came back with dirty blood on his hands, she could tell he was shaken. He was distracted, confused. But he wasn't discretely mourning, wasn't blaming himself for the situation and wondering where he had gone wrong.

Leon only glanced over to her slowly, his gaze meeting hers, his lips sealed. She had never seen the expression before, and the look scared her. He glanced down suddenly, indecision clear on his face. Claire didn't like the frown that graced his features either, didn't like how this conversation was going. She didn't like the way Leon was hesitating to spill the beans to her. Usually when he ended up at her doorstep, his emotional bucket was already overflowing, ready to spill right away. But this time, he seemed unsure. He was holding back like he couldn't speak up.

“Leon?” Claire asked gently before her tone became a touch more stern. “Leon, is she trying to threaten your job? Is she endangering you in the field?”

“No. Or, I don't know.” Leon breathed, still not meeting her eyes. “I… it's not that. I caught her falsifying a document six months ago. Something about the destruction team. It sounded like a lab assistant accidentally destroyed a promising vaccine sample instead of a dead-end one, and I overheard Myers telling the Department Lead that she'd sign off on the paperwork to brush the mistake under the rug.”

Claire frowned. That sounded like one step back for the safety of humanity. “Did you report her?”

Leon scoffed, glancing Claire's way with a pointed look. “Of fucking course I was going to report her. But I was busy so I didn't get to it right away and an hour later she...”

“She?” Claire prompted.

Leon sighed again, eyes closing. He licked his bottom lip and scrunched up his face like he was about to confess something, and Claire _really_ didn't like the direction this conversation was heading. “Claire. She sat down at my desk, slapped a USB down in front of me, and told me to keep my mouth shut. She has evidence of… a mistake I made years ago. And out of context, it looks bad. _Really_ bad. Like just as bad as me getting caught red-handed with Sherry Birkin alive and well after Raccoon. So, we came to an agreement because I kind of panicked. I didn't report her.”

“She's blackmailing you.” Claire stated, her breath catching. “Leon, what could she have that could keep you silent? Why would she go to such lengths just to cover up an accidental destruction? You can explain, can't you? It seems suspicious.”

 _That's too many questions. Shit._ Claire bit her bottom lip, refraining from placing another hand on Leon's knee. She inhaled through her nose, trying to keep her breath even, her tongue in her cheek. She knew how to handle situations like this. She spent a lot of time deescalating panicked men and women, spent a lot of time sorting out other people's traumas be it BOW related or simply human cruelty. But with Leon, she always lost her cool. With Leon, she always worried that one day she would come back home and Leon wouldn't be here because she didn't ask the right question. She needed to make sure he was okay so he could live while he was home.

Leon placed a hand to his forehead again as he exhaled. He didn't answer, his hands starting to shake and Claire knew if she didn't rectify her questioning within the next ten seconds, Leon would get up and leave.

“If I were in your shoes, what would you tell me?” Claire asked. She earned herself a side-glance, Leon taking in another deep breath. He chuckled humorlessly, eyes back on the blanket.

“I'd...” Leon trailed off. He laughed quietly. “I'd ask if you would let a zombie eat you too?”

Claire laughed, rubbing her hand on Leon's knee. “Good answer. Who are you protecting Leon? Yourself or this Myers lady?”

Leon sighed, but his answer was firm. “I'm trying to protect myself.”

“Are you?” Claire asked. “Because it sounds so far like you're trying to protect whatever it is that's being used against you. What’s on the USB? You wouldn't be controlled by the rumor from word of mouth alone, I know you better than that. Does she have pictures? A video?”

Leon glanced over, mouth pulled into a grim line. “Something like that.”

“If your coworker became a zombie overnight and you had to shoot her, would the secret come out during the investigation on her death anyway?” Claire asked. She refrained from smiling when understanding crossed Leon's features.

“Yeah, they'd probably find the physical copy of the evidence.” Leon said after a suspicious moment of hesitation. He didn't look happy with that revelation. He placed his head back into his hand.

“And if she wasn't blackmailing you with this, would she still be a problem?” Claire asked.

“Maybe. Probably” Leon said. He looked frustrated. “I kind of just tried to forget about it. But I keep catching her falsifying records whenever the lab asks her to. I even took a look at the documents myself to make sure I hadn't jumped the gun when I initially accused her, and yeah, she's forging papers and I don't know what it means. And sure, it's probably not even that big of a deal like I think it is, but she threatened me over it so I was kind of spiteful, maybe, and now it's...”

“And now?” Claire said, suspecting there was more to this story than just that.

Leon's voice turned bland. “And now... maybe it's escalated to more than just harassing. And you're probably going to be mad-”

“I won't be mad at you.” Claire said firmly. “The only time I was ever mad at you was that one time when you finished drinking my margarita at Jill's barbecue even though I told you it was mine, and even then I was only mad for thirty seconds until you went and got me a new one.”

Leon chuckled, glancing over. “You're still bitter about that?”

“I am.”

“Will you ever forgive me?” Leon asked.

“Don't change the topic.” Claire said with a wide grin. “What do you mean it's escalating to more than just harassment?”

Leon went quiet.

“Leon-”

“I should have stopped this months ago.” Leon said surely. He suddenly started to ramble without answering the question, his eyes anywhere but on Claire. “I mean, she's in charge of Health and Safety and she somehow managed to wiggle her schedule into mine, a completely unrelated line of work, just so that she could send me on bullshit errands. She did it on purpose and I can't really say no to her because she continues to slap the past down in my face and she keeps finding _things_ , Claire. Things I don't want people to know. Things that will only hurt _me._ I don't know what her end goal is, if she's got some diabolical plan or she just wants to make me miserable for the fun of it, but President Benford loves her, and I can't… I don't know how to tell him. I don't even know if I _should_ tell him. I don't know who I should be telling or if I even can. But this has gotten out of hand over the past six months. I was only going to report her because she was being a bitch when I caught her doing it. If she had been nice, and I had been nice, this all could have been avoided. But no. Now I have no choice _but_ to remain silent.”

“Don't blame yourself, I probably would have done the same. You should tell Hunnigan about the falsified documents and the blackmail. She's still your Handler, right? Maybe Hunnigan can dig something up.” Claire said, winking, trying to lift the mood. “Normally I'd tell people to file a report with the big bosses upstairs, but we fight BOW's for a living Leon, so we fight fire with fire. If Myers has dirt on you, maybe you should get some dirt on her too.”

“That's the worst advice you've ever given me.” Leon laughed. He looked ready to cry, but his smile was genuine.

“Well it's not like you're scared of her.” Claire said surely, without even thinking. “Without the blackmail, what does she have over you?”

“Claire. It's- I'm- I _am_. I'm fucking terrified.” Leon admitted in a rush, eyes closing. He was holding back something and Claire was scared of what it could be. _Leon?_ _Leon Scott Kennedy? Terrified?_

Claire's mouth opened, but she didn't immediately respond. Words stuck in her throat as frustration washed over her. Leon was human. He was scared to go into enemy territory, but he was brave. He always did his best, put his best foot forward despite all the shitty circumstances he had found himself in. And with that said, he wouldn't hesitate to tell someone if he had been bit, had been infected. After Spain, the man had been downright paranoid about the Plaga, had been damn near inconsolable for weeks. He was the kind of man who would sacrifice himself for other people, would take himself out of the equation before he could become a threat.

He wouldn't be here like _this_ if he didn't feel like he was compromised in some way.

She glanced over Leon's face with shock, and the way he shyly glanced over to her before pulling away from her, she _knew_.

“Is she making you break rules? Do some dirty work?” Claire asked, her tone much sterner than it had been a moment ago.

Leon swallowed thickly. “Claire-”

“Leon. Is there something else you need to tell me about Myers?” Claire asked firmly.

Leon glanced away, his voice nothing more than a whisper. “I'm sorry-”

“Don't you apologize, it's not your fault. But you need to answer the question, Leon because you're being really vague right now and I'm worried it's worse than you're letting on.” Claire said, trying and failing to calm her tone. She tried not to raise her voice, tried to control her anger, but she couldn’t help that it was clear as day.

Leon didn't answer the question. That _look_ came over his face once again. He glanced down, eyes wet and Claire was suddenly so relieved Leon had come to her and he hadn't just gone back home to wallow in his own misery like he had been for months. _Months._ He wasn't telling her, but his silence spoke volumes. Somewhere along the way in this mess, he had lost control.

“Leon?”

“In the video, I had initiated contact with a member of Umbrella.” Leon said, his voice heavy with the confession. “I did something stupid but I had my reasons, and I don't know- I don't know if defending myself right now would be the best choice for me to make, so- I don't know what to do-”

“Defending yourself is always the best choice.” Claire whispered trying to ignore the word _Umbrella_. She leaned closer, pulling Leon into another hug, her chin on his shoulder, holding him tight. The hug shut him up and she felt him shudder under her hands before he hugged her back. There wasn't much she could do about his work life, but she could feed him and be here for him until he felt better, could advise him to the best of her abilities on what his next move should be.

But she also needed to _know,_ because without the full story, her advice could accidentally prove to be unintentionally harmful.

“You're okay. You're here right now.” Claire whispered, closing her eyes. “Just think about how I'm going to maim this bitch in the morning, okay?”

Leon's chuckle was wet. “I literally shoot monsters for a living. I should be able to take care of this with my eyes closed. She's half my size.”

“I know, but the human monsters are different.” Claire murmured. She rocked him gently, trying not to cry herself. He hadn't given her the details, hadn't been explicit, but she was still upset for him. She was glad he had shared the brunt of the problem even if he'd been vague about it, but she was still worried. With Leon, the finer details were the bigger issues. With Leon, the little things were what kept him awake at night.

When she let him go and sat back a few minutes later, scanning his face, he wouldn't look at her. Claire frowned, trying to figure out if it was just shyness or, she dared to consider, some sort of _shame._

“Do you want pizza now? I can reheat it in the oven. You also need some sugar.” Claire said. She shifted away, grabbing a can of iced tea off the coffee table to give him. When she turned back, Leon was scrubbing his face and eyes with the palms of his hands. He glanced up to her, looking downright miserable, but he accepted the drink.

“Thanks.” He said.

“Do you need anything right now? Another hug? Another blanket? Another Redfield?” Claire asked. He shook his head without even a smile at her joke, so she huffed a breath and decided to give him some space. When she walked away, her thoughts were a mess, but one emotion stuck out clearly.

Anger.

She needed the details. She wouldn't make Leon's decisions for him, wouldn't force him to take action when he didn't feel comfortable, but not only would he feel better confessing, it would help Claire encourage a healthier approach to the problem. _He had initiated contact with an Umbrella member?_ _Who? Why? Was it Ada?_ _How the hell would Myers find this out within an hour?_ How long ago had this been? Maybe something Leon did during his military training? Something he did on a mission? In Spain? And if Leon was being humiliated in the workplace by this woman, it wouldn't be long before Leon started to collapse within himself, if he wasn’t already.

She reheated the pizza in the oven – burnt half of it because she was too busy daydreaming about stabbing a bitch, so she took those slices for herself – before she was cuddled back up under their shared blanket on her couch. Leon had his plate on the armrest, eyes on the pizza in disinterest just as Claire pressed play for her show. He had hardly moved, was sinking tiredly into the couch, his mouth shut. Emotional vomit always left him exhausted, and while some things had still gone unsaid, Claire really hoped Leon had spilled the worst of the situation. If the past was anything to go by, after some rest and a nice hot cup of coffee in the morning with breakfast, he would tell her the details he didn't want to mention.

With Leon, patience was key.

Twenty minutes later, Leon turned away from his untouched pizza and drink, glancing over at Claire. Claire glanced back to him, smiling brightly, shoving another chip in her mouth before setting the bag down between them. He hadn't eaten a single bite, so she made sure to aim the opening his way just in case she could tempt him.

Leon didn't say anything, looked like he was struggling with words again. When Claire was about to prompt him, he managed to speak. He sounded nervous, unsure. “I should probably tell Hunnigan.”

“Only if you want to, but yes. You should.” Claire said. “If you want, I can make the call with you.”

Leon hesitated a moment, his gaze heavy. “What do I do?”

“Well, that depends.” Claire said, turning to face him and give him her undivided attention. “Do you want her to stop blackmailing you?”

“Yeah.”

“Then you're going to have to tell someone and file a report, be it HR or Hunnigan or the President himself.” Claire said. “Unfortunately, there's no easy way out. It's not like deleting an email. And as much as I'd like to beat the shit out of her, you're still too nice to wish harm on other people.”

Leon swallowed thickly. “And when they don't believe me?”

Claire really hated this part because she knew Leon had a point. She doubted neither Hunnigan nor Benford would assume Leon was lying. But then what? The best Leon could get was a warning against the woman, if not a schedule change. “Do you have any evidence of what she's done?”

Leon glanced up to her, those puppy-eyes from raccoon city defeated. He shook his head, looking away.

They were quiet again for a few minutes, Claire's attention back on the TV. She wouldn't press Leon too hard, not right now. But after a few minutes, when Leon started to lean into her heavily enough to indicate that he was falling asleep, Claire made a decision. “Hey. You should call in sick tomorrow and stay here for the night. We'll eat more junk food tomorrow until you’re craving a vegetable.”

“What?” Leon asked tiredly, glancing over. “It's past midnight and I work early-”

“Do you really want to go?” Claire asked. “Put in a request for a sick day, you kind of need one. Who do you file that through?”

“Hunnigan.” Leon said, stuttering. “If I request one right now, she'll call me immediately-”

“So let her call.” Claire said. “You need some TLC and you need to think about what you want to do about this. You're in no state to go anywhere.”

Leon didn't argue. His eyes slid back to the TV face scrunching in consideration. “Are you sure?”

“Me?” Claire asked. “Leon, I would let you move in if you asked me to. Of course I'm sure you can stay the night.”

Leon stared, lips pulled thin before he gave in. “I guess, given the circumstances, that's probably my best option right now.”

Leon yawned before untangling himself from the blanket. Claire let him go, watching him as he stood up. She didn't bother to pause her show, wasn't even watching it if she was being honest with herself. Leon stretched gently before patting his pockets. He fished out the phone from his pants before glancing back to Claire. “I think I have my spare bag in my car still. I'll be right back.”

“Okay.” Claire said. She stood up too, stretching before heading to the bathroom. “Be back in a minute?”

“Yeah.” Leon said as he turned towards the front door.

–

The phone had never felt so heavy in Leon's hand. He was standing outside by his car, his emergency travel backpack slung over his shoulder with a spare change of everything basic should he suddenly find himself unable to go home. He even had a brand new toothbrush in there and a bottle of water just in case.

He tried to tell himself he was shivering because it was cold and he hadn't brought his jacket, knew deep down that the trembles had started up half an hour before he had left work that day. He'd been restless in the last meeting, like sitting down after a marathon. _Just tell Claire. Just tell her everything._ He didn't know why he was keeping the Big Secret to himself, didn't know why he was so upset over the situation. But he also knew it would only wear him down, that this would all get _worse._ He needed to come clean about two certain details in this story, but he wasn't sure why they were so hard to say.

_I can't say them because they're my own fucking mistakes._

Hesitantly, Leon pressed the button, making the call. He exhaled heavily, dramatically, trying to slide through his anxiety and into his work mode. It wasn't really working.

The line rang three times as he slowly wandered away from his car. He didn't want to have this conversation inside with Claire so close, hated having phone conversations in front of people. But he also felt exposed outdoors, like anyone and everyone could overhear him.

“Is there a problem, Leon?” Hunnigan forwent a greeting because of the hour. She sounded tired, probably assumed there was another crisis. Leon could hear her shuffling. She was getting out of bed.

Leon's mouth remained shut as he paused on Claire's walkway. _Shit, shit, shit. What do I say? Say something!_

“Leon?” Hunnigan asked, sounding a little more worried. “Did something happen?”

Leon exhaled shakily. “Hunnigan. I need tomorrow off.”

Hunnigan hesitated, no doubt analyzing his words and tone, her voice suddenly changing to become professional. “Are you okay?”

Reminding himself to breathe, Leon moved up the sidewalk. “Yeah.”

“You've always sucked at lying.” Hunnigan said, trying to lighten her tone. But her next question indicated that she was suspecting it was mental health related. “Are you home alone?”

“No, I'm at a friend’s.” Leon said. His voice stuttered and he knew he was caught. “There's a problem. I'll be in contact with you later this weekend but I can't come in tomorrow. I just… I can't.”

“Okay, I'll file the day off for you. Don't worry about it.” Hunnigan said. It was simple. Super easy. Suspiciously so. “Leon? Take care of yourself, okay? You're allowed to take time off when you need it. You don't have to push yourself to the edge just to have a day off.”

“Yeah. Thanks.” Leon said, wishing he could better express just _how_ thankful he was. They hung up, Leon entering Claire's house feeling worse than when he had arrived. He glanced over to Claire standing in the hallway, and that was all it took for the last piece to crumble.

“Did you file it?” Claire asked gently.

“Yeah.” Leon said, his voice breaking. He felt the hot tears suddenly stream down his face before he could do anything to stop them. Claire cooed at him gently as she skipped over, wrapping her arms around his midsection once again and pulling him into a tight hug. She had already hugged him more times than he had been hugged in the past six months, the touch warm but overwhelming and just making the tears run faster. _I really am a mess now, aren't I?_

“I really wish you would talk to me.” Claire said into his shoulder. She started to rock them again.

Leon huffed a humorless laugh. “I wish I could too.”

“Maybe you just need some sleep.” Claire said. She pulled away too soon, leaving a cold spot in her wake. Her hand wrapped around his wrist, dragging him back towards the massive couch. “Let's lay down and watch something cute. You're the little spoon. We can talk more in the morning.”

“Why am I the little spoon?” Leon asked. He tried to grin as Claire aggressively dragged him down to the couch, pulling the blanket over the both of them before wrapping her arms around him. Leon settled into the large cushion comfortably, glad the Redfield's hadn't skimped when they bought furniture, his eyes already heavy. Claire leaned over him for the remote and pressed play.

Ten minutes later, Leon felt himself drifting off. His eyes were falling shut, his breath evening out. He fell asleep feeling guilty and defeated.

–

Claire had never been a light sleeper, and even after busy weeks, she still woke up relatively early. But she woke up earlier than usual that morning, sitting up suddenly, eyes open and blinking away sleep, surprised to see she was alone on the couch. A blanket slid off her shoulder to her hips, her memory slamming back into her instantly. She glanced over the back of her couch, mouth open to call out for Leon, scared he had left and gone home like he sometimes did, just to see him standing in the kitchen with the fridge door open. Claire blinked, slowly understanding what was happening, before jumping up from the couch.

“Don't look in there!” Claire yelled. She startled Leon, watching in both surprise and horror as the man violently flinched. Blue eyes whipped around to stare at her, the coffee mug in his hands almost slipping to the floor. His hair was wet, he had helped himself to her shower it seemed and had even brewed a pot of coffee before tidying up Claire's living room. The pizza was gone and so was the mess of snacks she'd left on her coffee table. Even her kitchen looked cleaner somehow. _He's too good for this world._

“Jesus.” Leon said, pushing the fridge door shut. “I almost had a heart attack.”

Claire laughed nervously. “Sorry. Um. Did you see?”

“Did I see your naked fridge?” Leon asked, smirking before taking a sip of his presumably black coffee seeing how there wasn't any cream or sugar. “Yeah. Yeah, I saw your naked fridge.”

“Oh, don't judge me.” Claire whined. She moved around the couch and sauntered over to stand beside him, peering in to analyze her own empty fridge.

“I didn't say anything.” Leon defended. “I just looked. By accident.”

“Well if you're so horrified by it, you can come grocery shopping with me!” Claire said, dramatically throwing the door shut and ignoring everything he said. She grinned after. “I can't drink black coffee so feel free to drink the pot. I'm going to go shower, and then you're coming with me on a day trip!”

“Sure.” Leon said indifferently, sipping at the mug again.

“You okay?” Claire asked. She had never been good at puppy eyes, but she did her best. She knew she could be overbearing, but she wanted to give Leon enough space.

Leon sighed, taking another sip so he didn't have to answer. Claire huffed before turning to go shower.

When she got out of the shower, she was surprised to see Leon at the kitchen table with the pizza box open, eating a cold slice while he scrolled his phone. He was frowning as he went, his mouth full and the coffee pot emptier than when Claire had left.

“Wow. You practically live here. What's the frown for?” Claire laughed as she joined him, running a hand through her wet hair. She leaned over, grabbing herself a slice of pizza, doing a quick silent count of the slices left in the box. There was enough to share, but Leon didn't seem keen on even finishing his first slice.

“Hunnigan.” Leon said. He dropped half his slice back into the box, brushing off his hands. He reached for his coffee, raising it but not drinking it.

“Because of last night?” Claire asked, hoping she was breaching the topic gently and not abruptly.

“Yeah.” Leon said. He set his phone down onto the table with a sigh, drinking more coffee.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Claire asked, reaching for a second slice, hoping Leon would see they had time.

Leon sighed again. “Not really. I'm really sorry about all of this.”

“No, don't be sorry.” Claire said. “You said this has been going on for what? Six months? Leon, that's too long to be silently suffering.”

“I'm...” He trailed off, knowing she was right. “I'll call Hunnigan later. I need to talk to her but I also need to… tell you something else.”

“Oh?”

“Later. Let's get your fridge restocked first.” Leon said. He picked up his slice, finishing it off.

Claire just hated that she couldn’t read his expression.

–

The nice thing about grocery shopping at ten o'clock on a Friday was that there weren't a lot of people around. So when Claire stopped in an aisle and plucked a pair of aviator sunglasses from the rack, sliding them onto Leon's face before he could even protest, no one was around to scold them for acting like children.

“If I have to wear these, then you have to wear those.” Leon said without even hesitating, plucking a pair of red star glasses off the shelf. He slid them onto Claire's face, smiling like he was trying not to laugh. He adjusted them until they were deemed perfect, one hand moving Claire's stray hair out of the way.

“Bold of you to assume I won't rock these.” Claire said, sticking out her tongue.

“Then we'll switch.” Leon said, plucking her glasses back off her face and swapping them out for his own. The star glasses were way too small for him, and when Claire laughed, she was also laughing at the ridiculous grin on his lips. He strutted away, stealing the shopping cart from beneath her hands before she could say anything about it.

She had to admit, she missed this.

Twenty minutes later, they were paused in the bread aisle with a half full cart. Leon was still wearing the stupid star glasses, and Claire had lost hers to the ice cream freezer. She hadn't been able to help herself when she had passed, the desire for snacks stronger than usual. Leon had cracked a few snack-related jokes at her, but had quickly stopped.

Snacks aside, Claire liked to buy white bread because that's just what she had grown up with and what Chris bought every time. But apparently, Leon seemed to have other opinions on their bread choices.

“I'm not saying you shouldn't eat white bread.” Leon said casually like he wasn't implying white bread sucked. “I'm just saying that multigrain is usually softer and nicer.”

“You're telling me to eat multigrain when it has the grossest crust.” Claire said, pushing the cart further down the aisle. “Well listen here, Mr. Multigrain, in this house we eat white bread. It doesn't make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches taste weird and in this house, we eat PB&J.”

“Depends what kind of jelly you use.” Leon said, following after her. At this point in time, Leon wasn't even showing signs of stress, like everything he had confessed the night before had been a dream.

_Did I just imagine it?_

“Are we really going to argue about jam?” Claire asked, checking her list on her phone. She and Chris shared an online document for groceries, prioritizing what they were craving when their dates back home became closer. They never bought too much because who knew how long they'd be home for, but this week was going to be special. Chris was going to have at least a week off too while Claire did, both of them jumping into the office every few days the following week.

_What a chaotic weekend._

“Raspberry jam is the way to go.” Leon said.

Claire stopped so abruptly that Leon bumped into her, knocking the sunglasses askew. A hand landed on her shoulder while the other caught the frames just before they fell to the floor, the surprised look on his face making Claire laugh.

“You're a demon. Strawberry is the superior jam.” Claire said. She started to walk again, glad to hear Leon chuckle behind her. “In this house, Mr. Raspberry, we eat strawberry jam!”

“You say that like you eat grape jam too.” Leon said.

“And you say that like you eat blueberry jam.” Claire shot back, earning herself another laugh. She turned down the snack aisle, slowing as she eyed some of the better snacks. Most of them were loaded with sugar, but sometimes they had some healthier quick snacks like those sugar-free oatmeal bars. It wasn't like they had time to meal prep in their line of work. Claire had tried once, but had eventually slacked off.

“Do you want snacks?” Claire asked, checking out the selection.

“What?” Leon asked. He had shifted the sunglasses off his face, sliding them up onto his head so he could actually see. He looked ridiculous, but Claire held back from teasing.

“Snacks, Leon.” Claire said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. She reached for the protein bars, flipping through them, remembering that this was the brand Chris always complained about. “I'm asking if you want snacks.”

Leon side-glanced her, and Claire knew he had caught on to what she was thinking.

“Are you eating okay? You need some juice.” Claire said straight-forwardly, deciding that all of these granola bars looked like garbage. She moved on before shoving a couple packs of juice boxes into the cart, wagging her eyebrows Leon's way before grabbing an extra pack for herself. Last on her list was milk and butter, so they were headed back to the fridges.

“You're worrying, Mom.” Leon joked, eyes on the juice boxes. “And I like orange juice. I can make mimosas.”

“You really worry me sometimes. You need to drink your juice like a toddler. Alcohol free and from a tamper-proof box.” Claire laughed, glancing over her shoulder. “And I'm not _moming_ you, you've just been stressed for months and it shows. I just want to make sure I'm providing you with the tools to succeed and a little bit of juice can go a long way. Next up, I'll convince you eat a vegetable or two.”

Leon huffed. Claire didn't think he would retort to that, but he spoke up again when they reached the milk fridge. “We don't eat vegetables in my house. I'll grab some fruit on our way to the checkout.”

“Good!” Claire said, grinning bright at him. “Now are you going to judge me if I buy skim milk?”

Leon smirked. “Yeah. You should be drinking whole.”

On their way up to the tills, Leon ditched his sunglasses and stopped to grab a giant box of mixed fruit. Claire didn't comment on it, didn't tease him. She let him throw it into the cart before she stealthily paid for it anyway. Outside in the parking lot, Leon helped her load the groceries up into the backseat of her vehicle before taking the cart back to the stalls. He'd been rather quiet, but Claire worried it was still too soon to ask.

“Let's get lunch.” Claire said the second Leon got into her car. He didn't even have his seat belt on yet.

He glanced over in surprise, before frowning. “At this point, I feel like I'm imposing. Didn't we just eat?”

“Sometimes, you're so dumb in a lovable way. Did you know most people eat three times a day, silly?” Claire joked, pulling out of the stall. “This is not up for debate and if anyone’s imposing, it’s me at this point. What do you want? Sandwiches?”

“You can make sandwiches at home.” Leon stated like it was the most natural retort to Claire's question. He glanced over, curious. “Unless they're fancy sandwiches?”

“Of course they'll be fancy sandwiches. I only order the best.” Claire said.

She took him to her favorite sandwich shop with a drive-thru, ordering herself a deluxe sandwich with all the toppings on white bread, before ordering Leon a grilled cheese on his funny tasting multigrain. It only took them five minutes to get to the window, and the car smelled wonderful the second she passed the bag over to Leon to hold. She got the drinks next, shoving them into the cup holders before tipping the young woman at the window generously. She parked the car in the parking lot, wiggling her fingers at the bag because Leon was still cinching the top shut. Leon laughed, handing it over before shifting in his seat.

“Can't remember the last time I had a car lunch.” Leon laughed. “Usually there's more speeding and swerving than casually munching.”

“Well it's a good thing I like to treat you and it’s a good thing you’re not driving. Car lunches make takeout taste better. Eating in the car is an experience all on its own.” Claire said, digging through the bag to pull out their meals.

“You're not wrong.” Leon agreed.

“Did you seriously order a grilled cheese at a fancy sandwich shop?” Claire asked, pulling out a sandwich and then raising her eyebrows at it. The grilled cheese was heavy and _huge._ It had at least a pound of cheese on it. “Jeez, maybe I should order the grilled cheese next time.”

Leon laughed, accepting the sandwich as Claire handed it over. “And you were so fast to judge me.”

“I'm sorry. It will totally happen again!” Claire laughed, unwrapping her own. She dug in, polishing it off in record time before driving back home, teasing Leon about his simple tastes. He only grumbled about it, claiming he was easy to please.

When she pulled back up in front of her house, it wasn't even noon. But when she parked, she noticed Leon had hardly touched his food, was staring out the window in contemplation. He didn't immediately move when they stopped, and for some reason, that held Claire back from moving too.

“Was it gross?” Claire asked. She didn't didn't even reach for her seat belt, frozen as Leon glanced over to her.

“It was good, actually.” Leon said. His eyes were tired again. “Claire?”

“Yeah?” She asked, still gripping her steering wheel.

“I went to see Jack Krauser.” Leon said suddenly. Claire's mouth opened for a second before a frown instantly fell over her face. She knew that name and she knew that the man had betrayed Leon in the end and that Leon had been devastated, but she didn't get the chance to ask for an explanation.

Leon was already explaining, like the enclosed space of the vehicle made him feel safe to spill his guts. Claire hoped she had something to do with his comfort.

“After Jack was discharged for his injuries, he was offered a job with Umbrella and he took it. I sought him out to convince him otherwise, and to apologize. I felt guilty for everything that had happened and even though I knew it'd raise red flags if I was caught, I went after him anyway. I flew halfway across the world just to argue with him for a few hours and then fly myself right back home. Myers has video footage from the hotel. If shared, it could look like I've been under Umbrella influence ever since then. Jack was supposed to be dead, but I saw him again in Spain, and I was the one to put that last bullet through his head. It's too coincidental. I also run into Ada every mission, and she always gets away with a sample that should be in my hands, and we all know she's not working for us.”

“Is that what Myers threatened you with? How could she know that? How could she have gotten that video?” Claire asked, the suspicion clear in her tone. “Leon, no one would believe that you're working for Umbrella. No one. That's not the only conclusion that could be drawn from you visiting Krauser, like you just explained.”

“But I can't just accuse Myers of working for Umbrella even if she is forging documents down in Research. There's no other way she could have gotten that video, which is why I’ve been suspicious of her since she found it.” Leon said. He suddenly swallowed thickly. “Just like I can't accuse her of what else she's doing. She has more evidence against me than I have against her. If I report her, she'll report me right back, and at the end of the day, she's already made it so I'll look more guilty than her. But I'm worried she's involved with Umbrella and I've just been letting her sneak around. I’ve got a gut feeling, and the longer this goes on, the worse it gets.”

Claire frowned. “What else is she doing?”

Leon hesitated, eyes on the window. “I don't know why I can't just say it.”

“Say what?” Claire asked. Her heart sped up, suddenly concerned. _That wasn't the worst?_

Leon sighed in that heavy way that indicated he had a lot to say, and Claire wasn't going to like one word about it.

“Leon.” Claire prompted again. “Just spit it all out.”

“She whipped out that video six months ago and threatened me with it to keep me quiet about the paperwork.” Leon said bitterly.

“And?”

“And then it started with crude jokes and some invaded personal space while getting me to do stupid things around the office. Coffee. Collect the printer files. Drop off a document. Basic shit like that. She'd been digging, found new things to threaten me with. The drinking. My attitude. Anything she could use to make me look bad, anything she knew I might want kept private. I thought she was on a power trip and I didn't have any idea how to diffuse the situation so I just went with it. Don't react, let her burn herself out. I figured I'd eventually be sent back into the field anyway and I could forget about this.” Leon said, still staring out the window.

“Before I knew it, she had me wrapped right around her little finger and some of the office staff noticed. They think we're cute together even though I can't figure out how she finds new ways to blackmail me with my own position? It looks like I'm chasing her, not the other way around, and this is her evidence against _me_. I look like a love struck puppy in the office and that's what she was going for this whole time. I'm losing respect and it's my own undoing. I'm late because I dread going in and I leave early because I'm scared she'll catch wind that I'm still around. Sometimes, her errands impact other people's jobs and then they get mad at me instead of her. So not only do I have the higher-ups nipping at my heels, I have coworkers on my ass too. There's nothing I could have done at any point to stop this because she had me the second I panicked over the video of Krauser.”

“Leon-”

“I can't find any options to escape her. She has slowly backed me into a corner now and I let it happen.” Leon said, his voice becoming more hopeless with every word. “I knew the situation was escalating but I just tried to dodge her, tried to ignore her emails and summons until one day I had Simmons and Adam breathing down my neck over a meeting I missed because I ignored her request for me. I just told them I forgot, but now I'm causing trouble because I keep doing it. Skipping meetings. Skipping days. I got sent home by Hunnigan a week ago because I accidentally slammed back too much Bailey’s in my morning coffee. Now, I'm double checking my schedule, trying to get Hunnigan to ship me around, trying to stay busy, because every time Myers calls me in behind closed doors, it gets worse. And I know I'm only empowering her by trying to avoid her. I can't even drink because I'm not eating, and I get way too drunk too fast. I'm sick all the time, Claire. I've been throwing up.”

“Okay, you're all jumbled up.” Claire said, interrupting him because he was rushing his words now and wasn't explicitly stating his troubles. Claire didn't want to misread between the lines. She dared to move, reaching over to place her cold hand gently on his arm. There was a lot to digest. He had been keeping so much to himself for the past six months, and the worst part was that Claire had been seeing him more often. She had requested to work from home, had been missing the city and Chris, so she had been here in the office and had been meeting up with Leon and _seeing him._ He hadn't given her a single clue. How long had he been throwing up? He'd been thinning, but Claire only noticed _now_ just how much sharper his jawline was, how thin his wrists were.

Worst of all, Leon still wasn't _done._

“The situation turned sexual.” Leon said abruptly, the word splashing over Claire like cold water. He glanced over then, those puppy-blues wide like he had seen the Tyrant in the RPD for the first time again as his words came out faster. “If I report her, she's threatening to claim that I'm raping her and then slapping down all her evidence to prove it, and she has a lot of shit on me. If they investigate, they'll know I was basically head over heels for Krauser and they'll know I went to find him, and even worse, I never _reported_ that I found him. It's a risk I can't take, especially if Myers is a mole for Umbrella, or worse. But she might just be a devious nobody. I don't fucking know.”

Claire frowned. “She's-”

“Who would even believe me if I reported her?” Leon asked. “I'm the agent who has survived hours in hostile territory with nothing but a knife, and now I’m fetching her printer documents and bringing her fancy coffee and that's all anyone sees. They see me sucking up to her even though I'm trying not to have complaints filed against me every day or my personal life gossiped about. She's half my fucking size, who would believe that I was stepping into her office and she was threatening me into sex? I-”

“Did she _rape_ you?” Claire interrupted, her jaw slack. “ _Leon-_ ”

“I can't claim that.” Leon cut her off. He didn't even hesitate. “I mean. She's _half my fucking size-_ ”

“That doesn't matter!” Claire snapped, her hand tightening on Leon's forearm. She didn't mean to yell, didn't mean to silence him so abruptly but she was _livid._ Not at him, never at him. He was frustrating sometimes, yes, but he didn't deserve her raised voice.

He snapped his gaze to her, mouth clicking shut in surprise.

“Did you consent to having sex?” Claire asked sharply even though she already knew the answer, her tone rapidly deflating when Leon flinched. He glanced away, evasive, leaning against the windowsill with his chin in his hand. He didn't pull away, which told Claire he wasn't going to run away from this. He was just conflicted.

“I'm sorry I yelled.” Claire said quietly after the silence settled. “Leon, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry you felt like you couldn't tell me this sooner. I'm sorry I never noticed. You don't deserve to be in this situation.”

When he finally glanced back to her a moment later, the fight had been drained from him. He looked just as sad and sullen as he had the night before when he had showed up on her doorstep. He flashed her those sad eyes, his mouth pulling into a grimace. “I don't know what to do. I'm scared that one day she's going to tell me she's pregnant. I can't play this game anymore. I need out. Everyone loves her. _Adam_ loves her. And I don't have any evidence against her and she won't leave me the fuck alone. She even came to my apartment.”

“Leon, you need to tell Hunnigan.” Claire said automatically. Her voice was gentle. She took her hand back, clasping them together in her lap before she gripped his arm too tight. “You know she'll watch your back and you know she can get favor on your side. Even if you don't want to report it, even if you decide you're not going to do anything about it, at least tell Hunnigan so she can get you out when you need it.”

Leon didn't say anything, his mouth still firmly closed.

“ _Leon._ ” Claire pleaded. “You can't go back to work like this. I won't let you. You came to me and you followed through and I love that you came for help, even if it's really late. But I don't want to be put in the position where I have to out you against your will just to make sure you survive this. You need to make a decision or I won't be able to remain silent for both our sake.”

“Claire-” Leon started, and oh God, he was going to _plead_ with her not to tell another soul.

“Chris' plane lands Sunday night at eight.” Claire said simply. “You really think I can go to the airport, pick my brother up, and not cry and spill the beans when he asks me how I'm doing? You really think that if I tell him, he won't go straight to your place and sit you down and tell you everything I just said, just louder? You don’t think I’d feel guilty for letting it slip? You know me. You know I’m horrible with secrets when I’m worried.”

Leon's determination died. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought he was sulking. “I know.”

“And I know that you knew this when you came to me, that I would bully you into the hard choices.” Claire said. “I will hold you accountable, I will make sure you get help. Is that what you want?”

“I know.” Leon said again, his voice getting lower. He sighed, sinking into his seat.

“Is this what you want?” Claire asked again.

Leon hesitated, his eyes wet again. “Yeah. I guess.”

“I think you should jump right into the process before you start to doubt yourself.” Claire said. “I know you're not keen on telling Hunnigan, but can you tell me what your thoughts are? And don't you dare tell me you can ignore this.”

Leon remained silent for a minute before he sighed again. “I think Hunnigan is my best choice.”

Claire frowned. “Are you just agreeing with me to avoid confrontation now?”

Leon chuckled, but he glanced Claire's way. “No. I actually wanted to do this in the first place. I just… every time I picked up the phone I just worried excessively. What if Hunnigan doesn’t believe me? What if I just make everything worse for myself? I'm already having such a shit time, so if I make it worse...”

“So why last night?” Claire asked softly. “Why come to me first?”

Leon shrugged. He stuttered before he answered. “Because you always tell me the cold truth? And I might have been acting impulsively before I came here.”

Claire really didn't like the sound of that. “Can you please explain what you mean by acting impulsively. What were you doing?”

“It's nothing serious-”

“Leon.” Claire said sternly. “I'm really worried right now about your mental health. Are you having suicidal thoughts again?”

Leon looked away again, shrugging. “It's fine-”

Claire wasn't having it. She wasn't having any of this. “Leon. Please call Hunnigan. Right now. And I don't want to overwhelm you, but if you were raped, you should probably go get yourself checked out. I can-”

“I've already gotten checked out twice. My doctor thinks I'm sleeping around now.” Leon said offhandedly, like he was trying to joke but falling short. He shifted in his seat, glancing over his shoulder into the back at all the bags Claire had forgotten about. He tried to change the subject. “The groceries-”

“Wait.” Claire said, expression scrunching. “Are you implying it's happened more than once?”

When he glanced back over to her, she could see the answer written on his face.

“We should take the groceries in.” Leon said carefully.

Oh shit. Claire needed to digest this. She nodded and when they got out of the car, she was moving mechanically, trying to hold back tears. Her best friend had been keeping this secret for six months until it had run his mental health straight into the ground. Leon didn't deserve any of this. He already had such bad luck. And when Claire thought about earlier, how normal he had seemed, she realized with horror that she was scared.

If Leon hadn't told her, she might have never known. He was a really shitty liar, but he was very good at hiding.

They put away the groceries in silence. Leon didn't ask where anything went and Claire didn't speak up to instruct him. He just did his best to guess and Claire didn't have the energy to go behind him and move anything. It was awkward. It was tense. Claire knew Leon was going to leave after. She almost cried in anticipation of it, knowing she screwed this up, knowing that Leon needed a gentler hand with things like this, knowing that she had yelled at him at least once. She had been pushy and surprised and she _knew better._ It was one thing to help strangers. It was another thing to realize that even though Claire worked in relief, she hadn't seen a single fucking sign from Leon that he was suffering.

That fact alone ate her up inside.

They finished up rather quickly, Leon shoving his uneaten grilled cheese into the fridge after everything else was put away, before slamming the fridge door shut a little more aggressively than he might have intended. Claire was standing at the counter with her arms crossed, trying not to look so upset, trying to figure out what she could say to lighten the mood a little, if not keep Leon here. He was going to run now, wasn't he? He had said his piece and hadn't gotten enough immediate support, and now he was going to pretend like none of this had ever happened before going in again on Monday.

Apparently, Leon was on a completely different wavelength. When he turned around, he was staring at the floor. “I'm sorry.”

“For?” Claire asked, surprised.

“For making you worry. For being so difficult.” Leon said. “I'm… trying.”

“I know.” Claire said, all of her frustration deflating. “I can see that. You're doing a good job.”

“Am I?” Leon asked. “I feel like I've gone about this the stupidest way I could. But I'm going to call Hunnigan.”

“Now?” Claire asked. She perked up, almost excited that she wouldn't have to spend days, _weeks_ , watching Leon deteriorate before he made his move to help himself, if he even made the move at all. “Please. Do it now.”

Leon nodded, turning away. “Just give me a minute to figure this out.”

“Do you want me right here? Or I can go sit in the living room and pretend like I'm not eavesdropping.” Claire said.

“You're fine.” Leon said, which was as close to _can you stay_ as he would get. He ran a hand through his hair before fishing out his phone. “It's overdue. We all know how much I love to be late anyway. I can do this.”

“You can totally do this. And Hunnigan will know who you can contact in the facility.” Claire said. She moved over to the kitchen's threshold, not wanting to hover, but also not wanting to leave him completely alone. She leaned against the counter, arms crossed again, giving him a thumbs up.

“Hey.” Leon was standing awkwardly, but he smiled sheepishly. “Thank you.”

“Always.” Claire said. She was glad he turned away, because the tears finally welled up in her eyes. She pressed her hand to her face, trying not to sniffle.

He found Hunnigan's number before making the call, the frown on his face suggesting he was jumping right into this, wasn't really excited to have to actually take this step. With a deep breath, he suddenly wandered out of the kitchen and straight through the living room, and Claire decided that it wasn't the time to follow him. But she did creep a little closer so she could still see him, could still hear him when he nervously greeted his Handler. And then he disappeared into her bedroom, the door closing between them

Claire laughed at herself for crying already, wiping her face off with the palms of her hands before going back to her couch and turning on the TV.

–

“How are things?” Hunnigan asked after they greeted each other.

Leon wasn't sure why he had fled to Claire's bedroom when Chris’ was basically a guest room right now, but he started to pace nervously anyway. He felt like the words were all jumbled up again, like taking this step was the first step to _admitting_ what was happening to him. He'd thought of this moment so many times, had tried to prepare for what he would say, what he could say, and in the end nothing was coming out. _Don't panic. It will all work out. It'll be a shit ride, but I'll get there._

“Uh, bad, I guess. I think we need to have an emergency meeting.” Leon said, hoping he sounded casual.

“We can meet after work.” Hunnigan said, instantly reminding him that it was Friday and he had skipped out on work. Again. “I can meet you at the usual coffee house at five?”

“That's...” Leon paused, his eyes locked on the floor. His heart was thudding heavily in his chest. He placed a hand over it, closing his eyes. _Relax._ “That's too soon.”

“You said it's an emergency meeting.” Hunnigan said simply. “Emergencies usually mean immediately. And if you don't want to discuss it over the phone right now then we can meet as soon as my shift is over. Simmons would have a stroke if I left right now too.”

“He noticed my absence?” Leon asked, sitting down on the edge of Claire's bed as his heart started to pound a little harder. He hated that Simmons had been breathing down his neck lately and apparently Hunnigan’s too. Leon couldn't help but wonder if maybe Simmons was in on it. Maybe the bastard knew? Leon wouldn't be surprised.

“Of course.” Hunnigan said. “You were supposed to present an infiltration plan today for the newbies. Remember?”

“Shit.”

“Regardless, I had a backup plan, so it's been dealt with.” Hunnigan said. “Don't worry about Simmons right now. Can I ask what the emergency meeting is about?”

“Work.” Leon said.

“Right. You sound nervous.” Hunnigan stated. “We will meet today at five. The usual coffee shop. Don't be late, and don't show up drunk or I'll walk out.”

“Okay.” Leon said without any fight. He suddenly wondered why all the good women in his life were also bullies. “Sure. Five. I'll be there.”

He hung up, swearing as he exited Claire's bedroom. His heart was shuddering in his chest, panic and nerves getting the better of him.

Claire glanced at him from the couch, her eyes hopeful as she patted the cushion beside her. “Well?”

“She wants to meet at five” Leon said heavily.

His heart-rate jumped. He felt like he had just made a critical error but when he sunk into the couch again, he felt like this was _right._ Claire instantly scooted closer, not quite touching, flashing him a bright smile.

“Don’t worry, it’ll be okay.” Claire said.

“Why do you look like you’re going to cry?” Leon asked, not surprised to see Claire do just that. She leaned over, hugging him again and he automatically hugged her back. But she didn’t explain herself, not even when she pulled away, or when she went to get the snacks.

They watched TV mostly in silence, and Leon couldn’t help but understand that he was the reason for the silent tension.

–

“What do you want to drink?” Claire asked as Leon slid into the booth across from Hunnigan. Hunnigan must have been really _really_ early, because Claire had dragged Leon out of the house a _little bit_ early. His Handler had her laptop out, had never stopped working even after the clock ran out, a fresh mug of coffee on the table beside her.

The cafe was mostly empty, the silence making Leon uncomfortable because his voice might _carry_ and then he might be overheard. The rich smell of coffee was nice, though. Familiar. Maybe he should have just told Hunnigan everything on the phone earlier in a rush so that he didn’t have to do it now. The clock was ticking, after all. Nothing would be done over the weekend, but come Monday, Leon would be back in that office trying to hide behind the plants and photo-copy machines, dodging emails and generally not paying attention to anything he was doing. He was a disaster now, wasn't he?

_She got me good, didn't she?_

“No caffeine.” Leon said, glancing Claire's way. He already had the jitters and felt like he was about to die from anxiety, like his heart was one beat away from a legitimate heart attack. At this point, coffee would only make everything worse and he really needed a good moment. Claire had helped him significantly already, and he didn't know how to properly thank her or even repay her.

He certainly didn’t need caffeine right now.

“I'll find you something.” Claire said, winking. She also winked at Hunnigan before skipping off into the cafe to go place their orders.

Leon tried to look casual, like he wasn't about to say what he needed to say. He really did try his best. But under Hunnigan's intense stare, he wilted. The woman had always been able to see right through him, and was always calm in the worst of situations. Leon took a deep breath. Claire had given him a pep talk in the car, had advised him just to jump straight into his explanation. Cold hard facts, like killing zombies. Bang. Bang. Done. _Better late than never._

“Thanks for meeting.” Leon said. He was so nervous, he was going to die. He never knew until this very moment just how much Hunnigan's opinion meant to him. If she didn't believe him, he would just become one with the floor.

“No problem.” Hunnigan said as she pushed her computer aside to give him her attention. “I assume you have dire news?”

It was a joke. It was supposed to be a joke, but Leon felt like he'd lost his sense of humor.

“Kind of.” Leon said. He found it alarmingly easy to slip into his work voice with her. Maybe it was because he had already talked to Claire. Maybe he had been overthinking this entire time. But as he started to talk, he realized he was already tired of repeating himself. How many more times would he have to explain? How many incidents would he have to dig up before this was all over? He hadn’t realized how open he would need to be, how brutally honest.

_Shit. I'm in over my head. But that's why I'm here, isn't it?_

Leon took a deep breath before making his statement. “Jasmine Myers is blackmailing me.”

Hunnigan's expression didn't change, but an eyebrow did quirk. “The head of the Health and Safety department is blackmailing you?”

“Yeah.” Leon said nervously because in his opinion, this was already off to a bad start. He leaned forward onto the table and jumped right into it like he was making a standard field report. Easy. “She has hotel surveillance of a visit I made years ago. I went to see Jack Krauser after he signed on with Umbrella, to convince him not to join the enemy. I didn't tell the company anything about the trip even though I should have filed a report, but a week later I got news that he had died in the field. I didn't think it mattered if I reported it or not so I chose not to.”

“He was alive in Spain.” Hunnigan stated simply. Leon could already see the calculation in her eyes, trying to determine where Leon was going with this. He could also see disbelief.

“Correct.” Leon said quickly. “I killed him in Spain myself. But I know how suspicious this all sounds.”

“Okay.” Hunnigan said in that same tone again that made Leon's heart race. She tilted her head, eyes critical. “So Myers is blackmailing you with this video?”

Leon's mouth went dry. He felt trapped again, like he was making yet another mistake as he admitted it once more. “Yes.”

Hunnigan remained silent for a second, bright eyes locked on Leon like she was trying to read foreign code. When she spoke, her tone was still even, but the way she prompted him made him uncomfortable. “She has information on you. Does she want your silence, or is she asking you for information?”

“She wants me to keep quiet.” Leon said. “I caught her falsifying a document six months ago. I overheard Myers telling the Department Lead for the destruction team that she'd sign off on the paperwork to brush an assistant’s mistake under the rug. A promising vaccine sample was destroyed by accident. She's been doing this for at least the past six months, maybe even earlier. I worry it's on purpose, that it's Umbrella related, but she wants me to keep my mouth shut and… I am.”

“You haven't told anyone about this?” Hunnigan asked.

“I told Claire last night.” Leon said quietly, suddenly worried that he had accidentally dragged Claire into a mess she didn't deserve to be in. They wouldn't bring her in for questioning, would they? If Leon went down for Myers' lies, he wasn't signing Claire up to be taken out with him, right?

Hunnigan only hummed just as Claire bounded over to the table, sitting down. She plopped a to-go cup down in front of Leon before sliding in beside him, scooting close “I got you hot chocolate.”

“Thanks.” Leon said. He didn't like the way Hunnigan was staring at him so he looked at his drink instead, wondering if in a few hours, he'd just waste it like the sandwich earlier. His stomach churned unpleasantly. He felt sick again.

To his surprise, Hunnigan sighed. “Why didn't you tell me sooner?”

Leon glanced up, confused. “Sooner?”

“It's not that big of a deal. Myers can talk shit if she wants to, but your loyalty has never been questioned. Even if Myers were to present this, I could prove it's age as well as your complicated partnership with Jack Krauser, so it would never be used against you. You had a valid reason to go see him, and many Agents have done similar things before and hell, someone somewhere probably knew you went. Adam would never condemn you for this, you know that. There's no big plot going on here. She has useless information, Leon, but I will help you take care of it. You're going to have to write me a full-detailed report, and then I can assist you to get you out of this little mess.” Hunnigan said. She reached for her coffee, sitting back against the bench. She chuckled before she took a sip, the tension disappearing from her shoulders. “Jesus, Leon. Is that it? I've been so worried about you.”

Claire glanced over to him, and Leon knew that he wasn't getting out of the whole story. He glanced back down to his drink, his silence settling over the table. He frowned, lips pulled tight as he began to spin his cup around with one hand, his chin resting in the other. Claire didn't say anything, sipping her drink, but he could feel her eyes on him still. If he didn’t tell Hunnigan, Claire _would_.

“That's not it, is it?” Hunnigan sighed.

Leon glanced over to Claire just in time for Claire to fix him with a _look._ Leon clenched his jaw, frowning Claire's way. His voice was quiet as he spoke to her, a last ditch attempt to keep silent. “I can't accuse her of it.”

“It's the truth.” Claire said. “It's a technicality.”

“What's a technicality.” Hunnigan asked.

Claire held eye contact, inevitably winning the staring contest.

“She's blackmailing me into having sex with her now, too.” Leon said, like he was noting the weather.

“It's rape.” Claire said, sounding irritated.

“That's rape.” Hunnigan said at the same time, sounding a lot more surprised than she ever had before. The shocked expression was instantly replaced with a deep frown.

Leon cringed, glancing out into the coffee shop so he wouldn't have to see Hunnigan's face, wondering where he had screwed up to be put into this kind of position. He was just glad no one had seemed to overhear them. He hardly even wanted to admit it, let alone have _other_ people know. He didn't elaborate, just scowled, watching the employees bustle around behind the till. Oh what a stark contrast between their world and Leon's.

“When was the first time she raped you?” Hunnigan asked seriously.

Leon sighed. “Why-”

“Standard procedure, you know the drill. We've both been trained on it, and I know you've had training in case this happens on the field. You know you're supposed to report these things _immediately_. You've got this, let's go. Report.” Hunnigan said, her tone becoming stern. This was the voice in Leon's ear that had guided him out of Hell on multiple occasions. He tried to relax listening to her, tried to fall into his role, to accept her guidance. She had never failed him yet, after all.

“Can you please stop using that word?” Leon asked. He scowled, spinning the cup of hot chocolate. He didn't miss the way Hunnigan frowned at him. “It happened in the middle of last month. I don't know what the date was, but it was a Friday, so you have two possible options.”

“Where?” Hunnigan asked.

“In her office.” Leon said, scowling at the memory.

“What time?”

“Maybe five o'clock?” Leon said. He didn't know. It had been after their shift, and Leon had been working the standard eight to four-thirty for a few months now. He couldn’t really remember details. He had gone straight home and tapped into his whiskey supply until he couldn’t even think straight.

“Has it happened again?” Hunnigan asked.

“Yeah.” He didn't like this. He didn't like this at all.

“When?”

“I don't want to report her.” Leon said, frustrated and tired and _scared_. “I'm not, I just, there has to be-”

“Then _I'm_ going to report her.” Hunnigan said. Leon's attention snapped up, his eyes so wide in sudden fear that Hunnigan must have just realized how bad the situation was. She suddenly looked concerned. Very concerned. Which usually meant she was going to start making decisions for Leon's well-being without asking him like this was a life and death scenario out on the field, and regardless of his bickering, Leon knew he would listen.

Had he always been obedient like this? Had this been his downfall in the first place? Every time someone gave him some sort of direction, some order, some goal, he just desperately latched onto it, didn't he? This was all his fault. His complacency had been his own unbecoming.

“There's more, isn't there?” Hunnigan asked. She kept her gaze level. “I need a report, Leon. A full report. I want your status. I want numbers. I want locations for the incidents and I want details. I want to know everything she tried to use against you, both verbally and physically. I want to know if there were witnesses, or if you suspect she's doing this to someone else. You do _not_ get to go into a zombie apocalypse just to come home to being abused in the office. I won't allow it.”

Claire chuckled, nudging Leon and effectively making him feel less lost. Claire's voice was reassuring at his side. Grounding. “I told you. You're going to be okay. We've got you.”

Leon sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. He closed his eyes.

“When was the most recent time?” Hunnigan asked, and that was the worst possible question she could ask.

Leon swallowed dryly but he had already dug his own grave this deep, he might as well keep going. “Yesterday.”

Hunnigan seemed shocked and Claire's hand was suddenly on his arm.

“Why didn't you tell me last night?” Claire asked, her tone suddenly urgent.

“At work?” Hunnigan asked, sounding just as urgent.

Leon rubbed his face. He hated their tones, hated how they were laced so heavily with worry and there was nothing he could do to help them except shut up. “Yeah, at _work_. Um. At three. Three o'clock, maybe earlier. I swung by your office to drop off the notes on the newbies’ training records and she emailed me shortly after.”

“Three o'clock?” Hunnigan asked, clearly shocked. “Leon, we had an end of day meeting at four before we left. I saw you at four. We said goodbye when we left the building half an hour later.”

“Yeah. I know.” Leon said, chuckling nervously. _And then I cried in my car for an hour before going home and deciding it was safer to go to Claire's._ He had lost several hours yesterday to his misery. He hadn't meant to show up at Claire's so late, and he still wasn't sure if he was glad he had gone. He'd been feeling miserable, impulsive, hopeless. _Deadly._ It was dangerous for him now to be alone sometimes because who was he helping? At the end of the day, who did he really save?

Suddenly, Hunnigan had that same look on her face as Claire had when Leon had first told her. Hunnigan hadn't noticed a single thing over the past few months, had she?

“What happened?” Hunnigan asked.

“She messaged me that she needed me to come by for paperwork corrections before she left the office. She's in charge of field safety and I've been filing the reports on the newbies’ training. Scrapes and shit. Simmons had given me trouble for missing the meeting at nine, so I went to see her just in case. And. She. Closed the door, and we just...” Leon shrugged, trailing off, eyes sliding away from both her and Claire. “It doesn't take long. Fifteen minutes. Sometimes faster. It's the overtime this month that was really bad. Hours.”

Hunnigan remained silent. Leon wasn't sure he had ever left her speechless like this and honestly, he never wanted her to look at him like this ever again.

The silence dragged on until Hunnigan finally shifted. She slapped the lid of her laptop down, the sound loud and abrupt as she fixed Leon with hard eyes. Her tone was just as stern. “I'm going to go home and make you a form. I need you to fill it out in great detail and send it back to me, sooner rather than later. If I need additional information, I will call. Before I go, I need to know if she touched you or assaulted you anywhere outside of her office.”

Leon sighed, shrugging. “Yeah. She did.”

“Where?” Hunnigan asked sternly. He knew the anger wasn’t directed at him, but it was frustrating all the same.

“Nowhere with cameras.” Leon said surely, figuring that was what Hunnigan was really asking. He had always checked, and he knew Myers was being careful. This would only work, after all, if Leon had no proof against her.

Not that he’d been looking too hard, now that he thought about it.

“She's been careful. Really careful. The board room once. My office. Hell, she slapped me once for talking back in _your office._ The fucking lunchroom, the elevator. Down in the parking garage.” Leon said. He didn’t elaborate as to what had happened, all of these instances leaving him with varying levels of distaste.

“Which elevator.” Hunnigan asked, the frown on her face deepening.

Leon thought about it for a moment, face scrunched. “I don't know? Probably all three of them? I take the stairs now.”

“I noticed. Where in the parking garage?” Hunnigan asked.

Leon shrugged. “I don't know. I usually park in the East corner, but lately I've been changing it up. My usual spot was near hers so she lingered in the mornings sometimes. I'm late now so I don't have to see her, or if I know there's something really important going on that I can't be late for, I come in really stupidly early and hide in your office.”

“How many routines have you changed recently just to avoid her?” Hunnigan asked. Leon wasn't sure if it was a needed question or just a question to fuel her fury.

Leon sighed. She was asking so many questions and it felt like she would never run out. She was asking about things he hadn’t even thought of until now, like he simply didn’t want to notice his own behavior spiraling out of control. “We both know I've been late. I've been dodging meetings, even attending meetings I don't need to to fill up my time slots. I don't really have a proper office so I avoid my space and hide behind your glass wall. I've been spending more time down with the new recruits and the instructors have been letting me. At least something productive has come out of this.”

“And your home routines?” Hunnigan asked.

Leon shrugged indifferently. “I don't know. It's the usual just… worse.”

Hunnigan nodded in understanding. She glanced over him quickly. Leon wasn’t sure what she saw on his face, but she suddenly backed off.

“Thank you for being honest with me.” Hunnigan said. “I'm going to make you that file. You can expect it by tonight because this is not happening on Monday. I want you in at eight sharp, in my office unless the call comes earlier, and I will walk you up there myself if I have to.”

Leon nodded, watching as Hunnigan collected her laptop and bag. She was frowning but this time Leon could see that she was incredibly unhappy. Self-blame and a touch of distress gnawed at his chest. How had he let this little woman uproot his life so bad? But Hunnigan hadn’t asked him _why_ he had let it get this bad, hadn’t asked for Leon’s reasons in continuing to submit. He was glad she didn’t ask, because he didn’t even know how to explain.

“Bye Ingrid!” Claire said, waving as Hunnigan stood to leave. “Thank you, by the way. For Leon's sake, and for keeping me out of jail.”

Hunnigan smiled at the comment, waving back at her before fixing her gaze on Leon. “Keep me updated, alright? You should try and get some rest. You look like you could use some sleep.”

“Yeah.” Leon said.

“And Leon?” Hunnigan asked, waiting for Leon's attention. “You did good right now. I'll help you get this sorted out, so don't lose hope, okay?”

“Okay.” Leon said, agreeing if only to agree.

“You're never blind in the field, Leon.” Hunnigan said before moving away. “You know I always have your back.”

Leon nodded, his heart heavy for a different reason. He didn’t know what to feel besides conflicted.

The moment Hunnigan left the shop, Claire scooted even closer, making Leon's chest even heavier. She was warm beside him, alerting him to the fact that he was incredibly cold. He reached of the to-go cup, disappointed that it did nothing to warm his hands.

“You did good! You're doing great! You're doing the greatest and it's going to make all the difference, don't worry!” Claire said. He could hear her straining to sound upbeat.

Leon groaned, leaning forward into his hand. His eyes were burning and Claire's positivity was rubbing him the wrong way. “I feel like I just got hit by a truck, to be honest.”

“That's okay.” Claire said, reaching over to touch his arm. “You won't feel like a speed bump forever. You just need some more pizza and cheesy movies and some more TLC. It’ll be okay. We’ll get you help.”

Leon chuckled. He finally sipped his hot chocolate, grimacing because it was cold. It didn't matter though, because he knew beforehand it would be wasted. They left a few minutes later because Leon suddenly couldn’t handle being in public.


	2. Fight Your Fears and Survive

That evening, they made a pit-stop at Leon's apartment.

The front door creaked when it opened, Claire following in after Leon and flipping on the light. They were stopping for some clothes and Leon's work laptop so he could write the report from Claire's, and a few extra things for Leon to grab because naturally, he was spending the night again at Claire’s insistence. He had already apologized for imposing, but Claire wasn't listening to any of it.

“Why do you keep apologizing to me when you know you're not a bother?” Claire asked. “I would literally cry myself to sleep if I turned you away right now. If you can't handle my kindness then just know I'm doing this for myself. I need to make sure you're okay or else I'll die.”

She was graced with a chuckle from Leon as he crossed his minimalist apartment, wandering away from her into the bedroom. He wasn’t uncomfortable with her hovering, or at least if he was, he was tolerating it for his own sake. Claire lingered by his kitchenette, leaning against one of the counters, eyes sliding over the military-clean environment. It was bizarre, she thought, how his misery didn't even show. Everything was in its place. Despite the dust, his apartment still didn't look lived in. There were no signs of binge drinking, no signs of letting his standards go, so therefore no signs of depression. Every time Claire had seen Leon, he had been just right, if not a little tired. She had seen Leon at least once every other week for the past three months.

So to find out this? Just now? And what he had told Hunnigan? That he had come to Claire last night after that woman had her hands on him at work? And Claire _hadn't even realized?_

“You're crying.”

Claire glanced up in surprise. She hadn't heard Leon come back, hadn't expected him to be finished and ready to go so fast. It was like he had done a speed-run through his apartment. The bag hanging off his shoulder looked heavier than before, just like Leon's expression.

Claire grimaced, feeling hot tears run faster down her cheeks before she pushed off the counter and ran for him. He opened his arms expectantly and closed them around her firmly when she barreled into his midsection, hugging him tight. She cried into his shirt, glad she wasn't wearing any makeup to smear across the black material, mentally reminding herself that _he_ was the one who should be crying. They stood like that for some time, Claire sniffling wetly, trying to get her shit together. He didn't need her sobbing into his chest like this, didn't need anything to feel guilty of. But she was miserable. She was miserable just knowing that he had put up with this, that he felt like he _had to._

But then his phone started to ring, and Claire's misery instantly turned into cold fear.

She heard Leon sigh deep in his chest before he removed one hand, fishing out his cellphone. Claire pulled back, glancing over quickly to the screen before Leon could put the phone back where he had got it, her eyes catching the name on the screen.

“She's calling you.” Claire stated, her sadness instantly turned into anger. She glanced up, knew her face red and wet and disgusting, but Leon's blank expression was somehow _worse._ He glanced away like he had been caught doing something he wasn't supposed to when he wasn’t even the problem at all.

“Answer.” Claire said, even though the phone stopped ringing a second later. “Tell her off.”

Leon chuckled. He let her go, a chill creeping over Claire from both his lack of warmth and the way he stepped back from her. He grimaced, his phone suddenly ringing once again. Claire suddenly wondered if _this_ was why he hid when he answered the phone now.

He shoved his hand back into his pocket, rolling his eyes as he answered. His 'hello' was timid. He turned, about to walk away from Claire, but Claire grabbed his hand before he could go. He glanced over his shoulder, expression neutral, before his attention was suddenly on the woman in his ears.

“What?” Leon asked Myers. At least his tone was hard. Normal. Just like that, and Leon's voice was perfectly normal and irritated like it usually was with people.

Claire gripped his hand, dragging herself closer to his side. He didn't pull away, but he did turn his head, eyes suddenly closing.

“I'm not at home-” Leon was cut off. Claire couldn't hear what was being said to him, but she could read his face. His expression went from pinched to worried. He shook his hand out and pulled away from Claire like she was slimy, quickly stalking away back to his bedroom. Claire didn't follow right away. She simply crossed her arms over her chest before silently crying some more.

In the bedroom, Leon leaned back against the wall beside his door, his eyes closed. He placed a hand to his forehead, trying not to immediately jump to conclusions or react. His heart was hammering away in his chest, the fact that it wasn't just _Krauser_ pinning him to that wall making him sweat.

“Are you still there?” Myers had a nice voice. Pleasant even. Gentle in a way Leon hadn't been used to. She was easily mistaken as a sweet little woman and that was the problem. Sometimes the wolf hid under sheep's clothing. Not all monsters dripped black sludge or had eyes bulging from between their shoulder muscles and not all monsters could be put down with bullets and a combat knife. Too bad Leon didn't have training on how to defeat creatures like _this._ Myers wasn't always bad, but when she was, she was downright _awful._

“I'm here.” Leon said quietly. God, he was giving in already and she had only said four words. He was going to have a stroke. He wanted to curl up on the floor and wake back up in Spain. Anywhere, any other point in time besides _this._

“I'm sure you're surprised.” Myers said, still sounding pleasant. “I know I am. Seems our little romps might have gotten us into trouble, Agent Kennedy. You better hope that's not the case. I'm kind of glad you weren't here today to find out in person though. Your poker face sucks. How are you feeling, by the way? I was worried when I heard you didn't come in. Was pegging too much?”

“ _Your_ romps, this is all _your_ problem.” Leon clarified desperately, the bitterness coming out in his tone. He didn't even know if she was lying to him right now. “This is your fault, not mine. I _told_ you. If you're going to fuck with people both literally and figuratively, you need to at least use your brain first.”

“I'm sure Simmons would beg to differ and if I spill a few tears, I'm sure everyone else would beg to differ too. I can have bruises made whenever I want, you know? Cut the attitude, Kennedy, the only one in trouble is you and the only one who will _ever_ be in trouble is you.” Myers said. “Regardless, should a pregnancy scare get out with our favorite Agent, I'm sure the gossip alone would end your career before I even have the chance to accuse you of anything. You wouldn't want that, would you? Who knows what someone _else_ might try and accuse you of, bandwagons and all. You do have _one of those_ personalities. But, I can make sure it stays quiet...”

“In exchange for?” Leon asked because what else could he do? What else could he say? He just wanted this over as fast as it could be.

Claire suddenly opened the door to his bedroom, peeking her head in to spot him hiding in the corner like a child. He tried to shoo her away but she quickly wrapped herself around him again, hugging him tight. He leaned back against the wall, one arm draped over Claire's shoulder, wondering how his life had managed to get so messy. There was no doubt Claire could hear his heart thundering in his chest, her ear resting right over its frantic beat, but he couldn’t help but appreciate that Claire was _warm._

“I have an idea. I need you out of the office on Monday, but don't just take the day off.” Myers said, which meant she was doing something she shouldn't again down in the lab, and she wanted the spotlight shining elsewhere while she went about her shady business. “I know how much you love to drink, so that's an option. Just make sure you're enough of a problem when you show up to work, as usual, that you garner some attention. If not, you might find yourself with an anonymous complaint written against you. You don't need any more of those, now do you? Maybe this time it'll be worse. Maybe this time you'll face disciplinary actions, which might actually be helpful because we both know you're not well disciplined Leon. How fast you come proves that.”

Leon bit his tongue at the comment, his face flushing hot. Besides _that_ , he had tested Myers limits before, had tried to defy her. But that had only ended with Leon in the President's office after workplace gossip had spread like wildfire, Adam looking both pained and disappointed with Leon's apparent aggressive behavior. Adam took things like this very seriously, and too many complaints would put him in a position where he'd have to give Leon disciplinary action, if only to save the Agent's reputation.

“Oh, don't be shy, though it _is_ cute.” Myers said. “Sensitive men are endearing.”

He hugged Claire closer, head falling back against the wall. Everything was just piling up.

“Anything else, your highness?” Leon asked bitterly.

Myers chuckled on the phone. “You're so cute when you're submissive, Leon. This is why I leave you little gifts at your desk sometimes. You're such a good boy when you want to be.”

Leon swallowed thickly, refusing to answer. The gifts were a problem too because while they weren't flashy or expensive, they had shown her favor and had instilled jealousy in a few coworkers. If Leon came clean about Myers, who would believe him? Myers was nothing but nice to him when they were being watched. Asking him for things, leaving him gifts. Leon had a bad attitude about it but he still did her errands, which meant if anyone should be accused of misconduct, it should be Leon.

“Alright, fine.” Myers said after a moment of silence. “I have to go now. Doctor's appointment and all. I hope you have a good weekend, Agent Kennedy. I'll see you on Monday. Kisses!”

Leon hung up the phone without saying good-bye, his eyes turned up to the ceiling. Emotions were overwhelming him, leaving him frozen in place. The confusion and the memories taking hold of him left him lost. He should have said _this_ , should have said _that_. This wasn't the first time he had caused a diversion for the woman, but this was the first time she'd threatened him with pregnancy just to get him to do it.

It was just going to get worse from here on out, wasn't it? This is exactly what he had said when she had threatened to sell him out about Krauser. It was what he had said when he told her to fuck off, and she had personally came over to pour Bailey's into his coffee and then get him sent home for it. What he had said the morning she got into his car the second he parked and he told her to get the fuck out before he made her. Before she pointed out the camera that could clearly see through his front windshield and record any hands he placed on her. She had leaned in that morning, her gestures flirty, and Leon had thrown open the driver's side door and got out of the car in a panic. _It’s just going to get worse._

“Leon?”

Leon jerked. He had forgotten about Claire, had forgotten he was in his bedroom. He glanced down to Claire's wide blue eyes, the concern clear as day. She didn't deserve to be here with him, deserved to be at home relaxing and free of his messes. Suddenly, Leon's stomach rolled. Suddenly, he gently gagged, his throat bobbing, heat flashing up his chest to his face.

He shoved Claire aside. He would feel guilty later for manhandling her but he fled to his bathroom, one hand flying into his hair to push it out of the way as he reached his destination just in time. He puked, managing to get everything into the toilet bowl despite his frantic hurry, nothing but bile and saliva coming out of him. He choked several times, panting for breath in between each heave, wondering _why_ this physical reaction kept happening.

Claire was suddenly beside him again, one hand on his back but not rubbing. She was talking to him, comforting him in her gentle voice he usually hated, but Leon couldn't hear her past the roar of his own blood in his ears. He closed his eyes, spitting one last time, panting through the onslaught of sensations and emotions welling up in his chest again. His breath shuddered out of him as he sunk down to his knees, Claire moving with him.

“Leon, stay with me.” Claire said. “What do you need right now?”

Leon shuddered, eyes still closed. The tile was cold when he placed his hands flat down, his frustration and anger and annoyance burning him up inside. He didn't know what he needed, he just knew he couldn't go on like this anymore.

His voice was nothing more than a whisper. He didn’t know what he needed, but he knew what could help. “Another hug?”

Claire hummed before wrapping her arms around him again, holding him tight. They didn't talk, just sunk into each other’s warmth, Leon's breath easing out as he rocked with Claire. It felt too soon but he pulled away with a heavy breath, reaching into his pocket for his phone.

 _On Monday, Myers is doing something she shouldn't again down in the lab, and she want_ _s_ _the spotlight shining elsewhere._ “I should call Hunnigan. Myers is up to no good.” Leon said. His voice was raspy and when he stood up, the world spun for a second.

Claire didn't seem to notice his dizzy spell but she did reach out for him, hand firm on his arm. The concern was still clear on her face. “I'll grab you some water.”

Leon nodded before making the call. He was already making so many mistakes, what was another one?

–

“Let's get you something to eat.” Claire said the moment she was home, Leon trailing in behind her like a lost puppy. She was worried. Beyond worried. This woman was ruining Leon's already fragile mental state, and ever since Leon had confessed, his mental health seemed to be getting drastically worse. He looked like a zombie as he followed her into the house, his misery clear on his face. That, and she hadn't missed the way he had swayed earlier, hadn't missed the way his face had paled too. He was kept together by threads right now, and Claire hated every second of it.

“Thanks.” Leon said. He tossed his bag onto the couch before collapsing into the cushions with a heavy sigh. Claire glanced out to him as she opened the fridge, wondering if she should say something, deciding now was a good time to throw a juice box at the back of his head.

He yelped in surprise when the juice box arced neatly over him, landing in his lap. He didn't catch it but he did scramble to grab it, saving the box from the ground. After a second, he glanced over his shoulder into the kitchen, eyes wide and a tiny smile gracing his lips. “Nice shot, Little Red.”

Claire stuck her tongue out. “Drink up, Champ.”

“Champ.” Leon huffed in amusement before tearing off the plastic and stabbing the straw into the box. Three minutes later, Claire had his grilled cheese reheated on a plate and a new bag of chips to snack on, and she climbed over the back of the couch to give it to him. She sat down cross-legged, dropping the chips between them so Leon could eat some too.

“Royal treatment.” Leon said, accepting the plate. “I should stay over more often.”

And just like that, he sounded like he was back to normal. Claire tried not to frown as she turned the TV on, loading up Netflix and searching for a movie. She settled on _The Secret Life of Pets_ , hitting play before Leon could argue, doubting he even would. They settled in, Claire ripping the bag open as Leon picked at his sandwich.

Two and a half hours later, they were watching a romantic comedy and giggling like high-school girls. Leon had finished his sandwich over the course of the movies and was stealing some chips, Claire stuffed from eating most of the bag herself. She was glad Leon was at least laughing, snuggled under her throw blanket once again, refusing to share even the corner. They hadn't said much besides a comment here and there, but sometimes, it was just nice to enjoy the company.

Their lazy night was ruined when Leon's phone suddenly chimed. It was like Leon's whole mood did a one-eighty as he pulled out his phone like he dreaded what the world was throwing at him _now._ Claire glanced over in worry before Leon sighed, the tension deflating.

“It's Hunnigan.” Leon said. He had his phone inches from his face as he scrolled through the message. He sighed again, heavier. “It's… long.”

“There's a lot of questions that need to be asked.” Claire said reassuringly. “Do you want to wait for the morning?”

Leon shook his head, sitting up. He lazily reached for his backpack on the floor, unzipping it. “Might as well do it before I sleep on it and change my mind.”

“That's the spirit.” Claire said, finally stealing a corner of the blanket he was hogging. “I can help you, you know.”

“I know.” Leon said. He opened the laptop, grimacing. “Claire?”

“Yes?” Claire asked, turning her head his way.

“You're the best, you know that?” Leon asked, typing in his password. He glanced over after, offering Claire a soft smile that melted her heart.

Claire cooed, flopping over the couch onto his shoulder. “Aw, and you're the bestest of the bestest.”

“I'm literally a walking disaster, but okay.” Leon said. Claire glanced over to his screen, catching a glance of the document he had loaded. Hunnigan's work was neat and concise and twenty whole pages long. Shit. Leon was going to be at this for quite some time. The way he frowned indicated he knew it too. He was tired already. Weary. He hoped he wasn’t regretting it.

“You'll be okay.” Claire said, feeling urgent. “When all of this is over, I'm going to treat you to a proper pizza night. No crying allowed! Unless, you know, you want to of course. But it has to be under the couch fort!”

“The couch fort?” Leon asked glancing her way with puzzlement. “Like a pillow fort just with the couch?”

“Exactly!” Claire said. “I use the kitchen chairs, too. We're too big now for a pillow fort and if you think you'd be funny in a pillow fort, you should imagine _Chris_.”

Leon chuckled, eyes back on his laptop. “I wholly expect a couch fort night out of you now.”

“Good!” Claire said. “I can order _two_ pizzas next time and more chips! God, I miss chips, Leon. I always eat so bad when I get time off like I haven't tasted food in _weeks,_ but there's something about fake crap food that calls my name _._ ”

“Maybe it's stress.” Leon said, finger tapping on the keyboard. It tapped a little harder, Claire's eyes drawn to it. She anticipated that Leon was going to follow that comment up with something else, but he didn't, his keypad gently clacking as he started to type. She was going to glance over to the screen because he hadn't shooed her off from his shoulder, but before Claire knew it, her eyes were sliding shut as she was lulled to sleep.

–

When Claire woke up Saturday morning, she was surprised to find herself sprawled half over Leon. He was still here, and for once, she had woken up before him. At some point in the night, Leon had set his laptop onto the coffee table with the lid still open before falling asleep, the blanket pulled tightly around his waist. He was curled into the arm rest like a cat with Claire slumped over him to keep him extra warm, and when Claire shifted to get a better look at his face, she could see that he was passed right out. Exhausted. He was warm beneath her, content. Sleeping, his face was smoother than it had been since he'd shown up on her doorstep, not a single trace of anxiety present. Claire refrained from brushing hair off his face, knew that even shifting from the couch might wake him up.

Carefully, Claire stood up, one quiet foot at a time, making sure not to disturb him before going to the bathroom.

She washed her face and untangled her ponytail, sighing at her worried reflection. Three days ago she had been nose deep in paperwork, pretending like none of the tragedy out in the world really bothered her so she could do her job properly. But now that tragedy had followed her back home, had hit someone she really cared about, she wanted to cry. Again.

She wouldn't cry. Not yet, anyway.

Scrubbing her face a second time to prove this to herself, Claire left the bathroom to go collect some clothes so she could shower, silently storming through her home because as much as she loved hanging out with Leon, he didn't deserve _this._ They didn’t deserve this. He already put his life on the line every time he went out into the field, already got blindsided, caught unprepared every time _something_ happened. And yes, he always came out alive and in one piece, but it always took something precious from him.

Two hours and half a pot of coffee later, Claire almost made herself breakfast when Leon suddenly sat up sleepily from the arm rest. She was in the kitchen when his head suddenly popped up from the back of the couch, hair mussed and eyes flickering around like he didn’t recognize his surroundings.

“Good morning.” Claire called from the kitchen table. She had been catching up on social media like she expected to find something exciting, was glad that Leon was awake now so she could stop aimlessly scrolling. She got up, rummaging through her cupboards for an extra mug to get him some coffee.

“Morning.” Leon yawned, sinking back into the couch cushions. He shifted disjointedly, eyes still closed.

He glanced up when she brought him the mug and he accepted it with only a minor complaint. He shifted over cutely, making room on the blanket for her to join him, and Claire couldn’t help the smile that spread on her lips as she sat down with him.

“You're spoiling me.” Leon said, taking a sip. “You also make instant coffee taste fantastic.”

“Someone has to spoil you because the world knows you won’t even buy yourself something nice unless it’s leather.” Claire said, winking. “Do you feel up for going out today? Maybe we can go to the mall. I saw they have a sale at that military-grade store we like and I’m in the market for some new thermal socks. Kind of ripped mine when I was overseas. It’s a long story.”

Leon’s attention perked at the idea – he’d never pass up a trip to get new gear – but before he could respond, his phone started to buzz from the coffee table with a series of text messages. Claire saw the look, saw the worry flash across his face before he leaned over to check his phone. It was first thing in the morning, and Claire was instantly irritated for him. _Just give the man a break!_

“It's Hunnigan. I don't think she slept.” He said tiredly, eyes scanning over the messages. “I think she wants me to come see her. It looks urgent.”

“Now?” Claire asked. Leon groaned in response. “I can drive you.”

Leon only sighed before he set down both his phone and his coffee on the little table, leaning back into the couch with his eyes closed. One hand went to his forehead. “You know? I'm tired. And this isn’t like a mission. This is nothing like a mission.”

“I know.” Claire said, wrestling his hands away from his face. “But soon, it'll be okay. This is like the end of a mission where you kind of want to throw in the towel early but that will only prolong the inevitable.”

His phone vibrated again insistently and he sighed _harder._

“She can come here, you know?” Claire said, patting Leon's arm. “So you don't have to run around anymore to try and get this dealt with? Just ask her to come here, I'm sure it won't be a problem. She'll understand.”

“Really?” Leon asked, glancing over in surprise. His eyes were suddenly soft again, his mouth pulled into a pout. “I guess I could do that.”

Thirty minutes later, Leon was showered and eating snacks out of the fridge when Hunnigan showed up. He heard her before he saw her, the front door audibly opening. Claire let her in and welcomed her into her home, instantly making Leon nervous.

“Please excuse the mess!” Claire laughed. “I've been at work for the past two weeks and my brother is the clean one.”

“It's not a problem.” Hunnigan said, because secretly she could become just as messy as Claire if the missions ran too long. “As long as I'm not imposing.”

 _They're so_ _polite._ Leon came out of the kitchen with his container of fruit, shoving strawberries into his mouth and glancing out with tired eyes. Hunnigan smiled at him as she sat down on the furthest end of the couch, setting up her laptop onto the coffee table right beside Leon's. She reached over, gently closing the lid like it was rude of it to be open, before booting up her own laptop. Briefly, guilt flashed through him at the fact that Hunnigan was working during the weekend because of him. Again.

“Good news?” Leon hoped, shoving more fruit into his mouth so he had an excuse not to speak anymore than he had to.

“Yes and no.” Hunnigan said. She glanced over her shoulder at Leon, her expression turning gentle. “Come sit.”

He listened, flopping into the couch so he could see her screen while Claire suddenly busied herself cleaning up. He wasn't sure if she was just nervous _for_ him, but the younger Redfield was suddenly on a mission to be anywhere else but beside them. The fact that she had turned to cleaning out of nervousness really made him worried about what she was thinking, how she was feeling about all of this. He guess this hadn’t just impacted _him_.

“Thank you for sending me the report so fast.” Hunnigan said first and foremost.

“It was pretty messy.” Leon admitted, shoving more fruit into his mouth before his stomach couldn't handle it anymore. He had written the document as fast as he could, had skipped minor details when he felt like they didn’t even matter. This had been nothing like writing a field report. This had been worse.

“Alright, I'll cut straight to the chase. I sent a few emails and I got some clearance to check certain things out.” Hunnigan said, using her no nonsense tone. Her laptop booted up in record time, nimble fingers navigating to the tabs she wanted. “I have proof of the harassment and proof of the blackmail. I just need your consent to escalate this to HR.”

Leon glanced over to her in surprise. “What? Already?”

“You were recorded in the parking garage elevator on your way in to work three weeks ago.” Hunnigan said. She still wasn’t looking at him, but he could still feel her intent stare regardless.

Leon stiffened, suddenly wracking his brain for information because he didn't know _what_ had been recorded. Shit. He hadn't thought this far ahead, had he? Would he be able to look _anyone_ in the eye if they caught him going down on his knees for this woman?

Hunnigan pulled up a video but didn’t press play. Leon's eyes flashed over the elevator shot where he could clearly see him and Myers standing a foot apart, side by side, his heart suddenly thundering in his chest. He glanced nervously over to Hunnigan, knowing she had already watched the video, worried what she had seen. He couldn’t remember. He’d been with Myers in multiple elevators, all varying levels of awful incidents.

Hunnigan glanced up, her eyes unwavering.

“She hits you.” Hunnigan stated, summarizing the entire encounter in one short sentence. “There's no audio but the two of you discuss something for a moment before you shake your head at her in disagreement. She slaps you and when you back away, she pursues you into the corner with her hands on you. She backs off just in time for the doors to open.”

Yeah, Leon's heart was threatening to gallop out of his chest again. He saw Claire disappear into her bedroom then, the door gently swinging shut. His mouth was suddenly incredibly dry, leaving him silent for a moment too long. With physical evidence right there in front of him, suddenly this felt a little more overwhelming than just his memories. And he wasn't overwhelmed by hope.

“I followed the cameras after the incident. You come straight to my office. You're in my office for no longer than a minute before you're leaving again with a stack of papers and your laptop. You go down to the lower floor and find an empty cubicle to work in. Around noon, Myers swings by my area clearly looking for something, probably you, before returning to her office.”

Leon didn't know what to say, so he didn't say anything at all.

“I have twenty-one saved incidents where Myers has either gone down into the research lab and touched paperwork, or the Shift Lead has come up to personally see Myers herself in her office carrying paperwork. I also have eighteen incidents in the records room, where Myers has gone in with a manila file and taken out records without properly singing them out. She never takes the folder with her, she just transfers the contents into her own unlabeled folder.” Hunnigan said. “This includes the first incident you mentioned six months ago, proving Myers had a reason to target you. Before that incident, the two of you hardly had contact, right? You were an aisle over when Myers and the Shift Lead seem to have an altercation over a document. You confront both of them before they're about to leave and obviously have an argument. An hour later, you're in the public work space when Myers sits on your desk and slaps down a small object. The two of you have a brief conversation before she takes her object and leaves. Ten minutes later, you clock out and leave the building without a formal reason and you don't come back until the next morning.”

Leon swallowed thickly, leaning over to put his fruit container on the coffee table. So much for breakfast. “So what now?”

“There's more than enough information to launch an investigation on her without even including you, because it doesn’t look like you’re present for most of it. She’s really sneaky.” Hunnigan said. “I think her crooked behavior is worse than you thought. She's also been down in the weapons room, taking their paperwork too when no one is looking and touching the weapons. With her position, she has access to every department and no one questions her when she comes by. She could have simply said she was doing a random safety check, which she has the right to do. And while this could be as simple as taking documents for review, it's still a concern. There’s something really fishy here, but it doesn’t obviously scream ‘Umbrella mole’. Given the position she put you in, I understand why you were hesitant to call her out, knowing only what you did.”

Leon nodded, silently warm at the fact that Hunnigan seemed to understand. “Obviously I'm going to tell you to report this. We can't just let her keep doing this.”

“Speaking of that.” Hunnigan said. She clicked on another tab, an employee file. The man was young with a round face and bright eyes. “I think there’s a witness who can help us.”

“Oh?” Leon asked, frowning. He glanced at the young man in the picture, belatedly realizing that he recognized him. “Isn't that her assistant?”

“It is.” Hunnigan said. “I looked at Thursday's cameras. You went into Myers office at fourteen-forty-six and didn't come back out until sixteen-hundred. You were three minutes late for the meeting. Todd here sat down at his desk sixteen minutes after you went in to see Myers. He wouldn't have seen you go in, would have only seen you come out and he watched you go. Which got me wondering what else he might have seen, so I flagged him as a person of interest. A possible witness. And even more curious, he was personally requested by Myers for the assistant position. I took a look at complaint records, and he made a complaint about Myers one month after she was hired. It was about sexual misconduct.”

“Did you sleep?” Leon asked, glancing over to the woman. She didn’t look tired, but there was way too much information here for her to have slept. “Did you sleep at all? How many hours did you spend going through all of these?”

“It wasn't hard. I talked to Security and I requested help. An old friend who owed me a favor and he loves scouring video footage.” Hunnigan said. “And you should thank him. Or hate him. Because I have one last thing to show you.”

Hunnigan loaded the last tab which was another video, and Leon already knew what it was before he saw it. She didn't play it just like she hadn't played any of the others, but Leon's blood ran cold just seeing it. It was in the upstairs office lunchroom, the time-stamp reading nineteen-hundred. The office staff would have all been gone already besides a few stragglers, but Leon was there, trapped in the corner of the counter with Myers right up in his space again. He was looking away, leaning far back, and while his face wasn't clear in the video, he didn't look particularly excited.

“I thought the lunchrooms didn't have cameras.” Leon said quietly. Myers had grabbed him through his jeans before threatening him. He'd been sticking his nose into her business for his own sake, had been caught snooping around for information to try and sink her ship. He was pretty sure he balked in her presence because they had been in a communal space, and Myers was threatening to open his pants right then and there if he didn't agree to behave.

“You know gossipy Mrs. Maggy upstairs with the dramatic hair bun and a problem with everyone in general? Security put a camera in after she complained too many times about her lunch being stolen and replaced, just to find out that her and one of the other ladies have the same lunch bag.” Hunnigan said.

Leon chuckled, looking away. “Of course. Office drama never ceases to amaze me.”

“Well I think you're lucky, Leon. There's enough information here to get her in hot water and probably fired, if not investigated for ties to Umbrella. If you wanted to press charges, you would probably win.” Hunnigan said. “It's up to you though. No matter what you pick, you win.”

Leon sighed, glancing back to his fruit. “You know I'll do the right thing, Hunnigan, why are you even asking?”

“To make sure.” Hunnigan said. “I don't want to just run ahead of you to the finish line just because we can see it. You're exhausted. I want to do this at your pace.”

Leon glanced up, eyes wide because she was thinking about _his_ limits right now, and understanding that as simple as it was to file the report, he wasn't emotionally ready. He grimaced, looking away, the warmth spreading in his chest heating his face. “It's fine, Hunnigan. Report it before I change my mind or this can turn into an apocalypse.”

“You know this will be jumped on the second I email it in.” Hunnigan said. “If I report it now, you might get called by the afternoon. After the last security breach with an Umbrella mole, they really don’t take any chances anymore.”

Leon sighed. He'd have to explain everything all over again, wouldn't he? Again and again?

“Just do it.” He said. What was he going to do? Scamper around the office until Myers got bored of him? He had come to Claire for a reason. He had told Claire for a reason. He had agreed to meet with Hunnigan _for a reason_. He wasn't going to back out now that it was getting harder, wasn't going to back out now that the evidence was there in his face, making his hands shake and his heart beat faster. Why was he scared? Because of his reputation? Because of the office gossip? Or was he scared more of what Adam would think if he heard?

“Are you sure?” Hunnigan asked again, really making sure.

“Yeah.” Leon said. Fear wouldn’t kill him. “Please. Just get me out of this.”

“Of course.” Hunnigan said. She reached over, her hand on his arm and a small smile on her face. “It'll be alright. This will be over before you know it.”

Leon only hummed, grumbling. Over, yes, but what about him after? Was he supposed to show back up to work like nothing happened, and slip back into his routine from six months ago before this all started to go awry? _I’ll try. I’ll try even though I know I shouldn’t._

“Well. I shouldn’t take up any more time.” Hunnigan stood up to collect her things and Leon stood with her. He had several words sitting on his tongue, didn’t know which to say first or at all.

“I guess I should try and relax for now?” Leon asked with a dry chuckle. He followed Hunnigan to the door, helping her with her supplies. He was tired again, ready for a nap.

“Yeah, it might do you some good.” Hunnigan said. She surprised him, suddenly leaning in to give him a short but meaningful hug. He froze out of surprise, before gently hugging her back. Hunnigan had never hugged him before, and this made him depressed in new ways. “You're going to be okay. Just hang in there.”

Leon chuckled nervously, handing Hunnigan her things. When Hunnigan left, Leon took a second at the door to just exhale. He was tired today, already mentally exhausted. It was like everything had gotten so much worse over the past twenty-four hours.

Claire was suddenly at his side, her arms crossed and her eyes big and sad. She looked ready to cry. Again.

“You too?” He asked lightly, just as she threw her arms around him, hugging him tight. He sighed, hugging her back. He’d gotten more hugs this weekend than in his lifetime, he thought. _It’s not that bad._

“You're too sweet. This shouldn’t have happened.” Claire cried into his shirt again.

“I hope that's a compliment.” Leon laughed. He dropped his face to her head, eyes closing for a second, realizing that he didn’t mind this. He could do without _why_ everyone kept hugging him, but the contact itself? This was nice.

Claire pulled away too soon, patting at his stomach. “Let's watch some more movies. We can watch the penguin one next.”

Leon nodded, content just to spend lazy time with her. “Sure.”

But the call came four hours later from HR. They wanted Leon to swing by the office for a meeting, to make an official report. They wanted him to go over the details again, the who, what, when, where, why, and how, wanted him to bare his soul.

He was so fucking tired.

He'd go. He had started this, had set this in motion the second he had gone to Claire the other night, so he untangled himself from the blanket on Claire's couch and left silently enough to leave her concerned.

But when he pulled into his parking stall seven minutes late, he sat for an extra five, trying to remind himself why he was doing this, tried not to judge himself for rolling over for six months. If he had known then what he knew now, he would have nipped this in the bud. He never would have let this escalate past the USB with him visiting Krauser.

He was fed up with himself and his behavior. He was stronger than this. He stepped out of his car and got in the elevator.

–

Leon went home to his lonely apartment after the incredibly long meeting. It turned out that Leon wasn't the only one with complaints against Myers, and digging up the others with similar stories hadn’t been that hard at all. While his portion of the story was by far the worst, there were four other men who had come forward with similar stories starting with blackmail, though they had just rolled over in silence and Myers hadn't bothered them since. Hunnigan had somehow managed to get a hold of Myers’ assistant and he had been loose-lipped about her suspicious endeavors. Leon wasn't sure how Hunnigan had found this out, but he was sure that the woman still hadn't slept a wink.

When he went home, he didn't sleep either. Couldn't. He had texted Claire an update on the meeting but had refused to impose on her anymore, giving her at least twenty-four hours to herself. He didn’t check her reply, didn’t check any of his other messages either. He didn’t want to see them. Instead of resting or accepting that he was upset by all this, he had started to clean and tidy his already clean and tidy apartment, trying to keep himself busy. Distracted.

He was avoiding the situation. They had asked him for a report. The plan was to deal with this swiftly.

_Too swiftly._

Sunday at fifteen-hundred sharp, Leon was back in the boardroom with Hunnigan at his side, restlessly spinning back and forth in the office chair. The desk was too large, the room too open, the wall of windows letting in way too much light. Hunnigan hadn't been joking when she said HR would jump on this, but Leon hadn’t exactly been prepared to see Myers so soon, to have her know that he had been the one to finally bite back, to set this all into motion. HR had already told Myers what she was being accused of, what evidence they had. She was going to be investigated with an unpaid suspension and now all they wanted was the USB with the video of Krauser.

Leon was just glad he wouldn’t have to see her in the office.

“You're nervous.” Hunnigan stated. It was just the two of them in the meeting room, waiting for Simmons, Security, and the HR representative to get back from Myers’ office where she was going to collect the USB. Hunnigan had given them its location and no one had asked how she knew. Myers had glared their way but had otherwise remained silent for the duration of the meeting. Leon knew she had been here all day. He was just the last in line to be dealt with. The cherry on top. They would deal with Krauser and then Leon would go.

Leon was going to have a stroke. “I'm fine.”

“Stop spinning. Take a deep breath.” Hunnigan said, knowing he wasn’t fine. She reached out, placing her hand on his arm to stop the chair and Leon easily relented. He took a deep breath, eyes closing briefly. After this, Myers would be out of his hands and his hair, hopefully for good. After this, his life could slowly return back to normal, whatever his normal had been.

“There's nothing she can do to you anymore.” Hunnigan said, her even tone reassuring despite the circumstances.

Leon wasn't sure about that. He didn’t know what he expected, but he expected the worst.

Too soon, the four of them were back. The door opened noisily, and the four of them walked into the room. Their expressions were grim like someone had just died. Hunnigan’s hand left Leon’s arm.

The second Myers walked through that door, makeup and blond hair perfect, she cut Leon a wide smirk as she took a seat across from him. Security placed the USB down on the table and Simmons looked rather annoyed as he sat down beside the HR representative, a young woman with a face just as stern as Hunnigan's. They were probably friends. All and all, Leon couldn’t wait for this to be over. His hands were numb, heart thrumming quickly in his chest.

“Agent Kennedy? You really want to play this game?” Myers asked, glancing over to him with those pretty eyes and that bright smile. He suddenly felt like the tables were turning, was suddenly deathly afraid like he had been back when the government had first picked him up, asking him why he had Sherry Birkin. _Who do you work for? What do you know?_

He had to remind himself that this wasn’t as dramatic as that. Everything in his life had eventually turned out to be okay. This would all settle too.

Leon felt sick but he refused to let it show. He leaned into his armrest, fixing a narrowed look on Myers, his tone way more confident than he felt. “I'm tired of playing.”

Myers smirked. “That's bad news for you.”

“Myers.” Hunnigan said in warning.

“So you think.” Leon said back, his tone neutral.

“Sounds like you told them everything. I should have known better.” Myers said, gesturing at the open file sitting on the table with the photos strewn out and about. It was amazing how fast the company could work when they had something to brush under the rug. Leon wasn't sure if Hunnigan had anything to do with the swiftness of this, didn’t know what she had said or what they had _found_ , but he was both glad and dreading the next ten minutes. This was all he had left to do. He hoped.

“I did.” Leon said.

“You even accused me of sexual assault, you really went all out. You’re so cute.” Myers said. She already knew she was in deep shit, already knew she was losing because there had been more proof than Leon had realized, so she kept talking in that condescendingly sweet tone. “Did you tell them how you bite your lip when you come? Because if I do remember, you were quick to finish and shy about it too. Definitely a bottom.”

“Myers.” Hunnigan snapped, eyes flashing over to the HR representative who instantly shushed Myers. They were definitely friends.

Leon's face burned.

“Myers, you'll be suspended without pay until the investigation is finished. We are still collecting reports from other employees who are also filing similar complaints against you but even so, we already have enough. Due to the nature of the complaints, we cannot have you in the office and it is likely we will turn to federal law. If these allegations are true, you have been committing crimes against the company and its people, and we take this very seriously. You're lucky we're not having you arrested right now.” The HR representative said, quirking an eyebrow at Security who quirked an eyebrow back. _They’re friends too?_ “And as for the sexual assault, you're lucky he's not pressing charges. The others might. You're suspended until the investigation is over. But unfortunately, Agent Kennedy, you will be under investigation too in regards to Jack Krauser and your following mission to Spain, though I expect that will wrap up sooner rather than later. Standard procedure. That, and your assistance on this investigation will be required should we need you. You are free to come to work though.”

“Understandable.” Leon said, his throat tight. He had nothing to hide, but this meant more questions, more digging, more _trouble._ Simmons was downright seething in his chair and Leon hated that he was here, hated that he _knew_. What if he planted evidence, made this all worse? What if _he_ just picked up where Myers left off?

_You're panicking again._

Leon was allowed to leave ten minutes later because he was no longer required, Myers casting him a shitty look as he left like she was still winning. Hunnigan followed at his heels as he all but fled the room and down the hall to the elevator, the woman firmly attached to his side. In the elevator, Leon sighed shakily as he jabbed his finger into the button for the parking garage, his thoughts running a mile a minute. He jumped when Hunnigan moved closer to his side.

“Are you okay?” Hunnigan asked. She didn’t touch him, only frowned.

Leon glanced over, that simple question breaking something inside of him. He managed to hold on, if only for the next few moments. “I'll make it.”

“If you need to take tomorrow off-”

“I'll take tomorrow off.” Leon said breathlessly.

“Are you going to be-”

“I'm going to go home.” Leon said just as the elevator doors opened. He stepped out in a rush, digging into his pocket for his car keys, running from Hunnigan. Hunnigan called after him but he rushed away, getting into his vehicle and just breathed heavily for a few minutes. His hands were freezing, shaking violently, his breath coming out too fast. It didn’t feel like he had changed anything, didn’t feel like he had won.

He sat there with his hands on the steering wheel, mentally trying to back off the edge of a panic attack, when his phone chirped in his pocket. He pulled it out mostly to either distract himself or set himself off – at this point he was tired of his anxiety being on the fence – glancing at Hunnigan's name. _Call me if you need to or even if you don't._ _I'm going to set you up with some therapy_ _too_ _but only when you’re ready_ _._

He chuckled as he turned on his car with a deep breath, backing out of his stall. Something important suddenly came to mind, an idea he would follow through on.

This had all been set in motion at Claire's. He would finish this at Claire's. Full circle.

He’d be okay.

–

When the knock came, Claire assumed it was Leon. She was playing Smash on her GameCube, wasn't doing anything particularly exciting considering her and Chris had the game beat. She had been trying to take her mind off of the other man's absence, if she had to be honest. So when she opened the front door she was ready for whatever Leon was coming back to her with, just to be surprised to see her brother instead.

“Chris!” She yelled, her mood instantly perking as she threw herself at him. They always hugged when they got back, had always been a physical contact kind of family, making up for the hugs they hadn't gotten as children. They never knew when one day they would open the door to see an agent with his hands together, bringing them _the news._

Chris hugged her back with a laugh, his heavy duffel bag almost falling off his shoulder from the force of it. This close, he smelled like blood and dirt, knew the smell wouldn't wash off of him for a few days. Her eyes burned _again_ because he was here and she really needed to cherish the time they still had.

“You're early!” Claire said, squeezing him tighter. He squeezed back and she fake choked like she was dying. He let her go with a laugh, stepping into the house.

“I know.” Chris said, shutting the door behind him. “We kind of got whisked onto the plane early and I didn't have a chance to call. I carpooled back into the city, so it all worked out.”

“I'm not complaining!” Claire said, spinning on her toes. She eagerly took his heavy bag from him so he could take off his jacket and hang it up. She was just glad he was back home safe and sound.

“Wow, you cleaned.” Chris said as he stepped into the shared home, trying to take the bag back from Claire. She stuck out her tongue, skipping away with it. “I expected to see a pizza box and half eaten snacks all over the place.”

“You have no faith in me! I can clean when I want to!” Claire said, dumping the bag onto the middle of the couch. She hadn’t done much cleaning while Hunnigan had been here, but she had folded the throw blanket back up, draping it over one of the armrests.

“I can see that.” Chris said.

“I also can't lie to you!” Claire laughed nervously, hands on her hips. She sighed, mood dampening. “I had a visitor and he might have cleaned for me.”

“Oh?” Chris asked, intrigued. He flopped onto the couch beside her duffel bag, sighing deeply like he was finally able to relax a moment. He settled, sinking into the cushions like his body was made of concrete and he was struggling to keep himself awake. He would sleep well into the morning. They both knew he would be passed out in the next couple of hours.

 _I'll mention Leon later._ “How was your mission?”

“I want to hear about your visitor.” Chris said instead, glancing over with a smirk. He was smiling but he looked tired in that weary way, like maybe work wasn't the best thing for them to talk about right now. Claire's heart squeezed in worry. He'd been having a hard time in the field lately, his time off getting longer and longer between each mission, despite the threats coming in more frequently than before. Maybe they were both too old for this. Maybe they were just too tired. Maybe their overlapping week would help them out more than they thought.

“I got groceries and the house is clean, what more do you want from me?” Claire asked. But she huffed and instantly relented, giving up the information Chris was seeking. “Leon came over. He’s not doing well.”

“Ah.” Chris said, glancing up with those imploring eyes. Leon was friends with the both of them, and Claire knew Chris had helped the man in ways Claire hadn’t been able to in the past.

“How bad?” Chris asked.

“Bad.” Claire said. “But he’s working on it. Now go shower before you make the couch smell. And your bag stinks like a teenage boy who just came out of the locker room.”

Chris laughed at that but complied. He dragged his duffel off the couch with him before disappearing into his own bedroom down the hall, getting himself sorted out.

Claire turned her game back on, listening as Chris turned on the shower. It was familiar. It was reassuring. Her two favorite people were alive and… well… they were _alive._ There wasn't much more she could do besides making sure to pester the both of them as long as she could, and she would. She would always be there for them, because she knew they would always be there for her. They helped her as much as she helped them.

When Chris came out in casual sweatpants and a hoodie, he collapsed back onto the couch, watching Claire kick ass. He didn't say anything or ask to play – he always asked to play Smash – which meant his mission had been bad. They were all bad in general, but some of them were just _worse._

Claire only lasted another minute before she paused the game. She dropped the controller into her lap, turning on Chris so fast that he glanced over with wide eyes.

“Okay. Spill. What happened?” Claire said, before thinking a little more carefully. She was just tired and exhausted and worried. “Do I need to pull out the ice cream?”

Chris chuckled, relaxing again. “Nah, it's not that bad. Just… taxing. We joined up with another team, and they lost a few of their men. Though if they had just listened to me...”

“So you do need ice cream.” Claire said, standing on the couch and immediately jumping over the back of it. She fled into the kitchen and opened up her freezer, glancing at the two tubs of ice cream she had picked up with Leon. She picked Oreo because Chris liked it better than butter pecan, glad she had bought both instead of only hers. She heard Chris chuckle at her antics, knew he wasn't too beat up over it – he hadn't known the men after all, but it was still a tragedy and he would always feel a little guilty – when a knock sounded at the door.

Claire was in the front entrance a moment too late, her mouth opening but no words coming out. Chris opened the front door for her, looking surprised for a split second. She wasn't sure why she was so nervous, but when she saw Leon on her front step, saw the way his head tilted up in surprise at Chris, she _knew._ His eyes were sad, mouth pulled thin, the surprise to see Chris instead of Claire did nothing to mask the misery on his face.

“Leon! Come in!” Claire said, just as Chris moved out of the doorway. Leon shuffled in awkwardly, swinging the door closed behind him, his eyes were still on Chris and his bottom lip was suddenly pulling and-

Chris hugged him first. Practically scooped Leon out of the doorway, pulling the smaller man straight into his chest and Claire got to witness Leon break beneath the hug. He tried to hold the tears back, he always did, but the warmth must have overwhelmed him because he was suddenly clinging to Chris’ shirt, silently crying into the fabric. Claire made a noise before she set the ice cream down on the nearby counter, joining the pile to wrap Leon in warmth. She tucked herself into his side, sandwiching him in between them.

After a couple minutes, Leon started to squirm with a shuddering breath. He pushed Chris away first with a heavy sigh, his hands still on Chris' chest to keep him at arm’s length. He looked conflicted, and Claire figured it was because Leon didn’t know how to explain, or if he even _wanted_ to explain.

“Good thing I bought two containers of ice cream!” Claire said, appearing in the doorway just to catch Leon staring awkwardly at his shoes, Chris staring awkwardly at Leon. “Okay you two weirdos, let's go sit on the couch. No lollygagging.”

They both chuckled at that, shifting out of the doorway. Claire shoved the ice cream into Chris' hands before reaching for Leon, stopping him right after he slipped out of his shoes. He glanced down at her, eyes heavy, but he tried to smile. His eyes were still wet, but he just looked tired.

“It's almost over.” Leon whispered.

“See?” Claire said with a wink. “You'll be okay. You gotta get yourself some therapy though, no questions asked.”

Leon laughed as he moved past her. “Hunnigan said the same thing.”

“Good.” Claire said, skipping after him. “Also, we're playing Smash. So get ready to have your ass kicked, fancy Agent.”

“Twice!” Chris called back from the couch.

“Yes sirs.” Leon said, finding his place on the cushions between them.

“Claire, you didn't grab any spoons. Or bowls.” Chris complained. “How are we supposed to eat this? Like animals? This is why I never share with you.”

“You have fingers? You can make this scooping motion with your hands, you know.” Claire called over. She sighed when Chris fixed her with an incredulous look. “Fine! Go get the extra controllers then! I'll go get some bowls, I guess.”

When Claire skipped away, Leon got up with Chris to help him dig out the extra controllers. He had been around enough times to know where they were, and to know that Claire liked to shove everything into the same box all tangled together instead of neatly wrapping anything up. He squatted down with Chris beside the TV stand, hands going for the box that Chris had pulled out from the drawer, the question leaving his mouth just to start conversation. “You just get back from overseas?”

“Yeah.” Chris said. “It was pretty shit.”

Leon made a humming noise before sitting down, pulling out the tangled controllers.

“You?” Chris asked. He huffed, shaking his head as they started to pull and prod at the wires.

Leon took a deep breath. He was tired of explaining himself, but he knew Chris would probably understand better than anyone else _why_ Leon had let this go on. But. He would explain later.

“Work problems. It'll be okay now.” Leon said vaguely. He was tired just thinking about it, had repeated his story so many times to so many people now that he knew later he would be able to simply explain to Chris what had happened like it had happened to someone else. Which was bad. But one step at a time, right?

“Good.” Chris said. He didn't ask, didn't prompt, just simply cursed Claire for being so messy.

Ten minutes later when Leon was sinking into the couch between his two favorite people, he wondered why he hadn't come by earlier. He wondered why he had let this go on for as long as he did and he also wondered why he stubbornly remained cooped up in his little apartment.

But it didn't matter _why_ he hadn’t come forward, because within the course of an impromptu long weekend he had gotten the ball rolling to end his misery. That, and he was finally kicking Claire's ass at Smash for the first time in his life. _I bet she's letting me win._

Leon won the first round before promptly dying to Chris the next, and after a few more minutes of the game he paused, ignoring how Claire instantly took advantage of his character’s lack of movement. He glanced over to Claire, Claire glancing over to him suddenly with wide worried eyes.

“Thank you.” He said. He smiled then, one of those shy giddy smiles because he didn't want to admit it, but he felt more loved than he had in a long time.

Claire scoffed, elbowing him as she killed him again. She smiled too as she looked away, a smile she tried to hold back as she curled up onto the couch closer to home. It was cute. “Always.”

–

In the morning, Leon woke with a gentle groan. Blearily, he shifted gently, instantly aware that he had two problems. One problem was Claire draped half over him, trapping him to Chris, whom _he_ was draped over, being the second problem. Glancing up, Leon almost laughed, because it looked like Chris was in a worse predicament than him and he knew it.

“Morning.” Chris said quietly. He looked amused. He was stuck, trapped beneath a blanket and Leon and Claire.

“Morning.” Leon said back, chuckling as he tried to shift out from beneath the younger Redfield. She only tightened her arms around his waist like he was a body pillow. “Looks like we're in a _situation_.”

Chris only hummed in amusement, dropping an arm around Leon's shoulders to get him to stop moving. Leon relented, squirming only a little before he closed his eyes and sighed. He settled again, warm, but it only felt like a few seconds before Claire was rousing him from sleep again.

“Wake up sleepyheads.” Claire said. She shook Leon's shoulder and Leon jerked. He hadn't realized he had fallen asleep, suddenly realized that Chris had somehow wiggled out from beneath him without waking him up. Had he been that tired?

“Yeah. I’m up.” Leon said. He yawned as he shifted, a creak in his hip reminding him he was too old to be sleeping in a dog-pile on the couch. He couldn't say he minded the couch, but his back certainly didn’t agree.

“I'm treating you sad boys to breakfast, so go get ready.” Claire said excitedly. Her hair was wet as she skipped away from Leon, dancing around Chris as he tiredly stumbled out of the hallway in jeans and a t-shirt pulled tight across his chest. He looked just as tired as Leon felt, but he hid it behind an aloof grin.

“She's really excited today.” Chris said, quirking an eyebrow at Leon.

Leon could see that. It brought a small smile to his face.

Twenty minutes later, Claire was ushering them both into her car, chatting away about how rare it was to have all three of them together. Leon climbed into the back, still half asleep, rubbing the excess water from his hair. Claire chatted the whole drive about what she had been up to the past week – work, homework, and _more_ homework – before finally parking in front of Denny's.

“Oh my God.” Claire said, getting out of the car. She had just finished talking about one of her assignments and the look on her face indicated that she had suddenly just remembered something. She cut Chris a glance. “I forgot to call Jill.”

“I still have to call Jill. We can share the conversation.” Chris said nonchalantly as they got out of the car. He stretched, both hands over his head as he yawned again.

“I thought you hated sharing things with me.” Claire teased, moving around the car. She flashed Leon a smile as she walked by, linking their arms together and dragging him along. Leon went easily without a word.

“I just hate it when you eat straight out of the ice cream container.” Chris said. “It’s so gross. Like when you drink straight out of the milk jug.”

“We should’ve had ice cream for breakfast.” Claire said, letting Chris go ahead to get the door so she could drag Leon through. Chris only scoffed in retort at that.

They were seated at a table, Claire trapping Leon into a booth while they ordered coffees and water. Claire didn't even open her menu because she ordered the same thing every time, the blueberry pancake breakfast with extra pancakes. Within a minute, the waitress was back with their drinks, offering them a polite smile before rushing away to another table.

“So what's the plan for the week?” Claire asked, the question aimed at everyone.

Chris shrugged, stirring some cream and sugar into his coffee. He hadn’t even opened his menu even though always got something new. “Relaxing. Adjusting back to regular life, I guess. I have two weeks off now, which should be nice even if it’s a bit much. Can't remember when our time off overlapped, though.”

“I think it's been years.” Claire laughed. “It's going to be weird actually having someone at home, always nagging me to clean up after myself. I’m used to living alone already”

“I've given up on trying to get you to clean.” Chris said with a laugh. He suddenly glanced over to Leon as he sipped at his coffee. “What about you Leon? You're probably working. You in the office still?”

“I think I'll be taking time off.” Leon said, glancing down to the menu if only to avoid looking at Chris. These damn Redfield’s could read him like an open book. Claire glanced over to him, a smile on her lips.

“You should. You could use some time to yourself.” Claire said. She sounded way too excited and while she wasn’t _wrong_ , Leon didn’t know what to say.

On cue, Leon's phone started to ring. He groaned, excusing himself from the table and telling Claire to pick him something with French-toast before he answered the phone. He rushed out of the restaurant, suddenly overwhelmed with how busy the building was.

“Good morning.” Hunnigan said. She sounded pleased.

“Morning.” Leon said as he stepped outside, taking in a deep breath of cold, fresh air. “Good news?”

“Great news. Myers has been arrested. She was working for Umbrella and that’s how she got the video of you and Krauser. They found some other suspicious things in her desk after we left yesterday.” Hunnigan said. “And I got them to drop the investigation on your visit with Krauser. You're officially free of it all.”

Leon groaned, a hand to his forehead. “Until the office gossip rolls in.”

“Don't worry about it.” Hunnigan said. “You're worrying too much about things that won’t likely happen. Anyway, how are you doing? You kind of rushed out of the building yesterday.”

“I'm okay.” Leon said, leaning against the wall. He glanced to a family of four on their way in, a baby in the man's arms and a toddler babbling at the woman’s side. His stomach suddenly knotted, a cold fear washing over him. He waited until the family was past him, just him outside and alone. It wasn’t that he disliked children. It was just he was too busy to have any of his own.

“Hey. She said she might be… pregnant.” Leon said, the worry obvious in his tone.

Hunnigan was silent for a second. That second felt like a dreadful eternity to him. “She's not.”

“How can you be so sure?” Leon asked. There was no way Hunnigan had looked into _that_ too.

“She's infertile. You know Mrs. Maggy upstairs who talks about everyone?” Hunnigan said simply and Leon chuckled. Office gossip, right. “She never would have touched you like that if she wasn’t. She wouldn't jeopardize her position in the Umbrella like that just to get you to keep quiet. That’s high-level crazy, Leon. She lied to you. She lied to you about a lot of things.”

Leon sighed heavily, deciding that yes, this was good news as long as it was true. He would worry about it excessively, however. “So it's basically over?”

“Well, there's still a lot of investigating to do because she was really sneaky, but for you, yes.” Hunnigan said. “It's over. You don't have to worry about her or any of this now except recovering.”

Leon sighed heavily, but he smiled. “Thanks, Hunnigan.”

“Now enough about that, I'm worried about you.” Hunnigan said. “Do you want to take the week off? I can schedule you in on Wednesday for therapy, two o’clock.”

“No, it would be better-”

_“Leon.”_

“Okay.” Leon said. He laughed, heading back into the restaurant. “You convinced me, two o’clock it is. Is there anything else? Claire took me to breakfast.”

“No, that's everything. Say 'hi' to her for me.” Hunnigan said. “Keep me updated. Take care of yourself.”

They hung up, Leon sitting back in the booth on the edge this time. He reached over Claire for his coffee and she slid him his water too. He took a mouthful, noticing that their menus were gone.

“Good news?” Claire asked. It was like she already knew in advance.

“Good news.” Leon said. “I have the week off now.”

“That's great!” Claire said, her face lighting up in excitement. “So we can hang out?”

Leon didn't miss the suspicious look Chris gave them because Leon S. Kennedy didn’t just _take time off_ , but Chris offered Leon a smile regardless. “You could use some time off. I hear you're a workaholic, bouncing between the STRATCOM building and the President's office.”

“Something like that.” Leon said. “Did you order?”

“Yeah!” Claire said. “I got you a little bit of everything. Well if Leon has the week off too, then we can go to the movies! They have new ones this week and there’s a few I’ve been wanting to see!”

“Can we agree on a movie?” Chris asked.

“I'm not sharing my popcorn.” Leon said.

“You always sit with Chris so you can't share with me anyway.” Claire complained. “I don't eat that much?”

Leon and Chris both glanced over to her with raised eyebrows. Claire laughed nervously, gesturing vaguely at both of them. “What? I'm a snacker, what can I say?”

Leon laughed just as their food arrived, and before he dug in he couldn't help but notice how _nice_ this was. His work troubles hadn't been forgotten, but here, with the Redfield's, it was definitely easier. He ate contently, the smile refusing to leave him. They fought over the bill after, Leon managing to snag it _and_ pay while Chris and Claire tried to fight for it with rock-paper-scissors. Claire ended up losing but it didn’t matter because to Leon, Chris lost too.

Leon stuck his tongue out at them and they both stuck their tongues out back.

On their way back to Claire’s they stopped by a sweets shop. Claire wouldn’t stop talking about ice cream, and how now she needed pie with her ice cream. The blueberries in the pancakes had aroused a craving in her and both Chris and Leon knew that once Claire wanted something, she usually got it. While she was arguing with Chris over blueberry or apple pie, because for some reason they wouldn’t just buy both, Leon picked up a pack of cinnamon buns and decided he needed these himself. He’d probably eat one and then leave the package, but he knew Claire wouldn’t complain.

It was nice. Like nothing had changed.

But standing outside on Claire's front step, Leon couldn't help but turn Claire's way before she stepped back into the house again. He was the last to go in, but he was brimming with energy he couldn't name. Three days ago, if Leon hadn’t come by, he didn’t know where he’d be right now. He didn’t know if he’d be scurrying around at work, ducking behind corners and printers, didn’t know if he might have lost control of himself, might have _hurt_ himself.

And the only person who had changed everything had been himself. Claire had just made the process a hundred times easier.

“Thank you.” Leon said quietly, almost sounding desperate. He couldn’t explain just _how much_ Claire had done for him.

Claire glanced back at him, a bright smile on her lips as she elbowed his arm. “Always. Now get in here so we can convince Chris to eat pie and ice cream for lunch.”


End file.
